Reperio ac Diruo Terra Operation
by The Shinsengumi Muses
Summary: The Earth doesn't exist because of a nuclear explosion during WW3. The myths concerning the debris of Earth containing special energy drive many commander to seek out such a source. Sanosuke/Saitou coupling ^_^ **Note the rating change**
1. Part One

Notes: This is a crossover with the Gundam Wing universe... without an Earth... ^_^;; Ehh.... you'll get it later!!! You'll understand the title later as well... XD If anyone wants to be adventurous and look it up... it's Latin ^_~  
  
Warnings: Sanosuke + Saitou, AU  
  
**Reperio ac Diruo Terra Operation**  
  
By: Emmy and Anji  
  


* * *

  
_ "We have been here forever, and this is all we know. This is all you know, and I know it will remain that way for generations upon generations. It will hurt the masses and anger the superiors, but in this case we are helpless. Alone. As humans were meant to be. We will always be alone, and love is only a blindfold that holds our eyes from the truth. Humanity will always be alone without hope for a better tomorrow."_  
  
I was born on colony 35-2457-94394 and grew up there without any knowledge of my origin. Many people were led to believe that the origin was nonexistent, but as I dropped in on a secret meeting, unknown to my betters, I learned of one place that only 1% of my people acknowledged.  
  
Earth.  
  
They had spoken that world like a curse, and that's what I had initially thought it was. A curse. But after listening for a while, I began to learn that Earth was not a curse, but the planet of which the human race upon my colony, as with all other colonies, were once derived from. From an air duct overhead, I counted my breaths slowly as their meeting became more and more serious. If they knew I was there, and heard the discussion, I hadn't a thought in the world what they would do to me. The way they spoke of this place... Earth... it seemed like the type of friendly conversation to kill for, and I might have been a causality on it's behalf.  
  
Deciding that my adventurous nature might has been a bit misplace in my current situation, I gulped and began crawling back to my quarters through the duct's system. It was significantly hot in the air duct from the office's quarters' heating since someone had decided to give the colony a nice little snow storm a day prior through the climate control. The facility had spent an arm and a leg heating the place back up to its spring weather. And that spring weather had came so suddenly that I was caught in the middle of all that heat inside an insulated, metal air duct.  
  
This sucked.  
  


* * *

  
Quickly falling back down into my quarters I looked around with a sigh. Mission successful! My friend looked at me with a certain annoyance when I walked out of my room into the kitchen. He sighed and lowered his head back to the table, where I assumed it had been previously. "Kenshin, how is my homework going?"  
  
"You can do it for yourself now that you're back."  
  
"Aww, c'mon man!"  
  
"I was very kind to do this much for you as it is! Now get to it! Your education is important, that it is!"  
  
"Yeah, so I can do some commanding on this goddamn colony."  
  
"Yes, as a matter of fact you can!"  
  
I glared at him, but set down at the counter and looked through my books. It all seemed so pointless-- how in the hell was relating the curvature of space-time to the principal of gravity going to help him command a ship? If it was, then he would suck at commanding cause he had no idea how to do it. It didn't take much before my mind started to wander. I began searching for something in the room to entertain myself with, but it was pretty bare. I had just begun listening to the different sounds you can make by pressing your ear to the table and then knocking on it when I heard a door open and then Kenshin gleefully shout, "Master!" Whatever the hell that could mean.  
  
I blinked a few times, and then closed my eyes to concentrate on what the hell Kenshin was doing. Master? Was that kinky or what? I concentrated harder.  
  
"I come by to tell your little friend Sanosuke Sagara that his presence is required in sector 23."  
  
"But Master! Couldn't you stay a little longer and have supper... or something?"  
  
Woah, woah, woah! 'Little friend?' And why the hell did Kenshin sound so damn desperate? I stood up and quickly turned the corner with a quick jump and glared. It was Seijirou Hiko! But why the hell was Kenshin calling that asshole master...? Oh well. I guess it didn't really matter anyway.   
"I heard my name, what the hell am I needed for?" I questioned sharply, and Hiko merely laughed at me as I glared at him.  
  
"Well if you heard your name you -should- have heard where you presence is needed."  
  
"Sector 23, right?"  
  
"So why the hell did you ask? Get your ass over there." He said calmly and Kenshin 'oro'ed to himself quietly.   
  
I was glad to oblige; any reason to get away from stupid, pointless, quantum mechanics.   
  
Sector 23... that was, like, a mile away. Screw that. I was definitely too lazy to walk a mile, I was too lazy to even stare at a book. There had to be a shorter way. In fact, if I made a short 'detour' through the restricted area, I could cut right through the center of the colony instead of walking all the way round the perimeter. The restricted area wasn't open to everyone, you had to know a code, but I had connections. Actually I had looked over Commander Aoshi's shoulder as he entered the code, but that was beside the point. The fact was, I had the code; I had access.   
  
Entrance 47 was right outside of my room, so I didn't have to go very far. The difficult part was making sure no one sees me going where I was obviously not supposed to be. I had to wait about five minutes for the hall to be cleared and in the meantime, looking like a complete idiot. I walked up and down the hall a couple of times, but that defeated the whole purpose. Wasn't I going through the restricted area to avoid the long walk? Luckily, though, I only had to wait for a minute for the place to be empty after I stopped pacing. It was nearly dinnertime, so everyone was heading to the cafetorium (who came up with that fucked up word?).  
  
It took a couple of tries to get through. First, I couldn't figure out how to work the damn code-pad, and then second, I couldn't remember the fourth digit, so I had to go through a couple of numbers before I got the right one. Every time I hit a wrong number it beeped loudly and said "access denied." The damn thing was so loud I was expecting Kenshin or Hiko to come out and ask what I was doing.  
  
Anyway, I finally got in. I had only been in here once, but I had seen floor plans for the entire place, so I knew exactly where I was going. There was no one around, luckily, and there weren't any major problems until I was more than three-quarters through the maze of hallways. I must have made a wrong turn somewhere because I saw a sign that read "Corridor 69" and if I remembered correctly, that was way off where I was supposed to be. As if that wasn't enough, I heard a voice mutter, "Ahou," and turned around to see Hajime Saitou.  
  
This was great. Now I was caught. Saitou would go tell Aoshi and before I knew it I would be sent off to some prisoner colony to do public labor or whatever the hell they had convicts doing. Breaking into the restricted area was a serious offense.   
  
"Trespassing, Sanosuke?" Came his cold, dangerous, quite frankly sexy, voice. "You're not authorized to be here, if my memory serves me."  
  
"I-- I was just, uh, running an, uh, errand... for, um, Hiko." I stammered in response.  
  
Saitou definitely did not buy it. He raised one eyebrow before stating, "I was just on the way to see Hiko myself. Walk with me."  
  
This last part wasn't a question, it was a command with no room for argument. I had no choice but to follow him; the tone of Saitou's voice had been so final that I followed submissively.  
  
I didn't know where he was taking me, the dread of what was to come had drowned out any previous knowledge I had of the area. Saitou led me quite a way before we came to a door with a hand print sensor which accepted him without doubt, opening a door to a place I had often dreamed about going. It was the commander's private corridor, the place where the top-secret running of the colony took place. Someday I am going to live in there. But for now it scares the hell out of me.   
  
Saitou knew exactly where he was going and went straight through the halls to the far side. He knocked on a strange door and waited. No answer. He knocked again and when he still didn't get an answer, he punched a code into a pad like the one that had taken me into the restricted area. He entered and looked around. I could tell it was Hiko's room from the picture on the desk, but Hiko wasn't in it, thankfully. Saitou murmured something that sounded like "odd" and then left the room, beckoning for me to follow.  
  
I did. I trailed behind him through another labyrinth and finally we heard voices from inside some sort of meeting hall. Saitou was about to walk in when he began to hear what they were saying.  
  
"We'll just have to kill him! We can't have someone like that causing problems!"  
  
Saitou stopped in his tracks. Obviously this wasn't a conversation we were supposed to be hearing. I stopped quickly behind the man and held my breath as I continued to listen.  
  
"What would we tell his relatives? That he knew too much about the Reperio ac Diruo Terra Operation!?"  
"We could have him meeting an unfortunate end that's completely accidental."  
  
"We've done that too many times!" A voice scolded and I began to suffocate, afraid of being found. Saitou grimaced and turned back to me with yet another aggressive voice.   
  
"Ahou, walk to my left to room 82, the pass code is 2-4-5-2-5-2-5-6-9-1-1-6-3-8-8."  
  
I hesitated however he then barked in a low voice, "Ahou, turn! 2-4-5-2-5-2-5-6-9-1-1-6-3-8-8."  
  
I growled and popped the numbers in as he continued. I was, then, forcefully shoved into the darkened room. I hit the floor and the door closed swiftly behind me. I glared and reached up to the wall, groping around for a light switch. I couldn't find one, and slapped the place where the light switch should have been mounted. The lights suddenly flicked on, and I groaned. It was one of those clapper things! As the light finally flooded the room, I found myself looking around Saitou's quarters. Shit, I was getting a little carried away with checking the place out, especially the bed chambers...  
  
God, I really didn't understand how much my train of thoughts wandered. It sure sucked being a horny teenager some times.   
  
But then I realized what had happened, and the discussion I had been hearing. I frowned and looked to his ceiling, grinning as I found the ventilation system. I reached into my breast pocket and pulled out a little gadget that allowed me to do anything from pick locks to open vents. I spotted a chair and pulled it under the vent and reached up to do my own little operation. I was in his bed chambers and as I pulled the metal sheet down silently down to the midnight silk bed sheets I couldn't help fantasizing about... goddamnit! If I kept that up I would get a fuckin' hard-on.  
  
With one excellent jump, I gripped the cold metal and pulled myself up into the ventilation system. I looked down the tunnel that went two ways. It was dark, the only lighting coming from the room below. There weren't any slits in the metal yet. As I looked further, a jail door of trimmed light flooded the area in columns. That, judging from where the voices were, must have been where the conversations were coming from. Yeah... that was it...  
  
I crawled on my palms and the balls of my feet without a sound and heard some voices coming closer as I moved; and then I reached the light. I took a peak down and to my assumption, Saitou was there, leaning against the door; listening to what I wanted to hear. I grinned and crawled a bit more ahead, just enough to pause and hear the voices, but not too far to allow Saitou to see me. I would be in deep, deep shit if that happened.  
  
I listened to the voices.  
  
"We have to follow through with it now! We're too far to turn back!" A voice I didn't recognize boomed.  
  
"We're not that far off course!" Returned Commander Aoshi. "If we turn back now and stop chasing after myths, we would only loose a year and a half in our fantasy!"  
  
"What do you mean myth?" Yelled the other voice. "Earth exists, and so does the key to Reverse Anti-Matter Fusion! If we can find the Explantium, the universe will be at our fingertips! We could control weapons powerful enough to destroy the galaxy, invent systems to locate anything in the universe. We could make everyone our slaves, or whatever we want! Think about it… are you willing to give that up?"  
  
"It's a MYTH, Hiradake!" Roared Aoshi. "An old wives tale, a story women tell their children when they can't fall asleep! There is nothing remaining of Earth, and the Explantium is lost forever! It was destroyed thousands of years ago when the nuclear war destroyed the planet."  
  
"You're wrong, Commander." The other man's, Hiradake's, voice was quiet and dangerous. "It exists. The tracking devices-- they found Explantium, they will lead us to unlimited energy and unlimited power. If you trust me, I believe we can find the remains of Earth." He drew in a long breath and then whispered, "Power. That's all that matters now. We have nothing else left. If we do not find the secret to Reverse Anti-Matter Fusion, we will all die."  
  
I drew in a sharp breath, and froze as Saitou's eyes shot up into my hiding quarters. I was in deep, deep shit... But these commanding bastards! Earth...? The planet that I had heard of before? Like, an hour before? The Operation? What was it called... the Reperio ac something or other project...? This was all giving me a fucking headache!  
  
"Hiradake, we will continue this meeting in private. The rest of the people are dismissed."  
  
I listened to the faint squeaking noises of the chairs on the tile and gulped, there wasn't anything else to hear. Saitou quickly fled from the area, punching in the code to his room and leaving. Shit, he was expecting me in there too! I cursed to myself and began to back out along the vent way, not as quiet as I should have been.  
  
It was lucky for me that I had chosen the vent right above his bed so I could jump back down to the ground with a soft landing. But where would he be!? I finally reached that area, only to hear footsteps falling underneath where I was in the air.  
  
How the hell was I going to do this!?  
  
I figure that he already knew where I was, so why the hell was I so worried? I was just delaying the inevitable. With a calming, deep breath I slid out of the vent, and crashed to the bed below with a thud. As I opened my eyes I was facing the crossed gaze of the wolf-like man looking me over. "You little bastard." He mumbled and I blinked a few times, wondering what the hell he was going to do. He continued in his speech, tearing me down with every other word.   
  
"Do you know what would have happened if they were to catch you!? Do you have any idea how much trouble you would be in!? They would have killed you ahou." He regained his calm exterior and continued in a low voice.  
  
"They would have no hesitations about slaughtering you, just like the first subject of their conversation. What do you think makes you're special?" His words were hard, and I ran a hand through my hair, contemplating my answer.  
  
"Well uh..."  
  
He glared at me. This was bad. Very bad. Saitou was high in rank, but somehow it seemed that he wasn't supposed to know about this operation either, and that worried me. From the sound of it, both of us were in trouble if we were found out; it was too dangerous for us here.   
  
As if reading my mind, Saitou turned away and said hesitantly, "We have to leave. Its only a matter of time before someone checks the surveillance cameras, and at that point we face death. Space doesn't put us in a much better situation, but its our only hope. I think-- just think-- that we could find this energy source they were discussing that you no doubt heard about," he turned and glared at me, "And destroy it. Its too hazardous to leave it in tact. It seems that they are on its trail."  
  
"You mean that Explant-thingy?"  
  
"Explantium, ahou. We don't have time to discuss it now. Any moment we could be discovered. The tracking devices they speak of are on every standard ship, if I can figure out the code, we could locate it, use the energy, and then destroy the planet."  
  
"Umm… I guess I'll go."  
  
"You don't have a choice! Pack ONLY necessities. Meet me in twenty minutes at the loading dock. That leaves you until 7:30."  
  
I stood there staring at him.  
  
"NOW!" He shouted.   
  
Snapping out of my trance, I ran out of his room and blindly found my way back to my room. 7:20. I packed clothes, bathroom stuff, books, radio. 7:25. This was it; I ran from my room and made it to the docks by 7:31.   
  
At first glance, when I looked around I couldn't tell where he was, and that made this nervous feeling in my stomach intensify. This was great, where the hell was he?! I casually walked around the patrol ships and avoided the guards around the docks. From the way he spoke, a ship would be ready to go as soon as I got there, but I couldn't hear any engines. Everything was so quiet...  
  
"You're late ahou."  
  
I spun around to a figure masked in the shadows between two patrol ships. There he was in the doorway of a certain ship. I looked over the ship, the MJU-8739. He said that we could locate the place from every patrol ship if we knew the code... are we going to start this journey without a map and make it up as we go along? I held my bags tightly as I walked into the ship which is about the size of my quarters, and set the items down. The door shut tightly behind me and Saitou walked to the front, taking the pilot's seat.   
  
I hadn't thought twice before, but as I hear the guards shouting behind and the engines taking off, I shut my mind off any possibility that I had done something wrong. After all, it was too late now!  
  


* * *

  
  
End of part one 


	2. Part Two

Notes: This chapter may confuse some people and it is ABSOLUTELY VITAL if you want to read the rest of the series! Huge thanks go out to everyone who had commented! We love you!!  
  
Warning: Nothing much besides language and a little violence. Angst, as usual and AU ^_^  
  
  
**Reperio ac Diruo Terra Operation**  
  
By: Emmy and Anji  
  
Part Two  
  


* * *

  
  
We snuck out quicker and with more ease than what I had thought. Sure, there was a chase, but Saitou out-maneuvered the three guards that had come after us with a great round of skill that left me a bit baffled. After we had escaped the vicinity, Saitou put the ship into auto-pilot and set it on a course for colony 476-3-58296 to stock up on supplies. As we were heading out Saitou noted that we didn't have much fuel, but I told him without another thought to get his ass to the nearest colony and fill up.   
  
It was late and I was trying to fall asleep, a task proving to be rather difficult.   
  
Every minute or so we'd get a message from the colony we just left and the red lights would blink. Even though we were outlaws now, they hadn't taken our ship off the system, so whenever they sent out a message to all the other ships, we got it too. I wanted to turn the damn thing off, but Saitou thought it more strategic to leave it on. Whatever. I just wanted some sleep.   
  
I finally drifted off some time around one. Saitou was still sitting in a chair against the wall with that calculating look on his face. It was a nice look for him. He had his face in his hands and wasn't saying anything, but obviously there was something going on inside that mind.   
  
I guess he left sometime later, but I don't know when since I was probably unconscious. But when I woke up he was back at the controls steering the ship again. I walked into the control room, still half asleep, and without looking up he said harshly, "Colony 476-3-58296 had been notified of our departure. We'll have to make for the next one, probably colony 478-9-58337. I don't have that one located yet, but it shouldn't be too far from us. I know the Commander, he should be able to help us."  
  
I nodded slowly, disturbed by this new information. Good news travels fast, it seems. If Saitou was right, then maybe we could go find alliance with this other colony, but there was no way they would shelter us. It was too dangerous, that would be putting themselves at risk. Maybe we could get supplies from them though. I had checked the hold yesterday, and it didn't look too bright. There were twenty genetically engineered bean plants, and ten corn, but that wouldn't be useful for a while. They bloom every three months (it was an old version, the new ones bloom every month) and they had another month to go. In the meantime, we had barely any meats and no wheat. This was going to suck. I wasn't what you'd call a light eater.  
  
In fact, some people told me that I was one of the people that binged without purging. It didn't bother me, I had always loved food. It was one of those senses that really put my boat afloat. I could care less of paintings and scenery; those things that people most fond of _/sight/ _admired, but if you give me some good food, that was when I would be happy! Although now, because of this rock and a hard place, it would be a little harder than I thought to keep my favorite sense happy. I might have to become one of those people that admire beauty.   
  
I could say that I love space, and admire the vastness of the universe, but then again I'd be lying. I hated what I couldn't explain and didn't understand, like that fucking quantum physics paper. It was too much for me, and although I liked keeping people guessing as well as surprises, I couldn't really say I wanted to be left in the dark completely. I guess that if anyone had to drop into some sort of a secret meeting it should have been me. I can take this stuff, and I'm ready for it!  
  
Without more thought, I walked over to the pilots' quarters and took a seat, beginning a casual chat.  
  
"So... how long until we're there?"  
  
He tapped his hand along the set coarse controllers that read as a countdown: 2hrs:18min:34sec.  
  
I sighed, but knew that I wasn't going to be getting a nap in. I looked around on the control counsel and grinned, running back to my bag and grabbing a jewel case. He raised a questioning eyebrow as I pulled the case open and slid the CD into a drive. He glared, "Ahou, don't touch the counsel."  
  
"I know what I'm doing, chill out!"  
  
"Ahou." He warned in a low voice which I chose to neglect.  
  
I listened as the first three seconds of the first song played, and then clicked the track button until it reached track eight.  
  
"What are you doing?" He inquired and I could tell he was a little on the P.O. side.  
  
"Lightening up the mood. Music's good for the soul!"  
  
"I want some peace and quiet."  
  
"We've had peace and quiet except for the goddamn sirens."  
  
"Yes, and while they are regressing I would appreciate you staying silent as well."  
  
"Whatever." I turned the volume of the CD up a little more. It was a really old group, Mortal, but they still kicked ass.  
  
He reached over in my direction and I slapped his hand back down before he could turn it off.  
  
"Turn it off." He warned again and I leaned back in the chair.  
  
"I don't wanna."  
  
"Turn. It. Off. Now."  
  
"And if I don't feel like it?"  
  
"Then I'm going to have to do something about it."  
  
I waited for a moment, there was something a little bit more dangerous in his voice that I just didn't want to mess with. I leaned over, and with a grin turned the music up louder. I don't know why I did it, but it felt right. Maybe I was born to piss him off. I didn't know or care, but it was so much fun!  
  
He stood up abruptly, pressed the stereo off with enough force and tenacity to break it, then picked me up by the front of my shirt, staring right into my eyes.  
  
"You do whatever I say, just as if we were back on the colony. Show gratitude for me saving that sorry little ass of yours."   
  
He began to push me, rather than lead me, backwards through the room, and into the rest area that doubled as my bedroom for the time being. With a rough shove back onto a wad of blankets that served as my bed, he shut the door tightly, leaving me in the pitch black room. There was no lock, but his voice trapped me inside there just the same, "Go to sleep ahou." Was all he said and then, as his footsteps tracked away I fell into a deep sleep.  
  


* * *

  
.   
It only seemed like I had been asleep for a minute when I was awoken by a rough pounding on the door and a "Wake up, ahou, we're almost at the colony."  
  
"Huh?" I mumbled. I was really tired.  
  
"Get up NOW! We'll be at the colony any minute, and I don't plan to be there for any more than twenty minutes. Get your ass up and get moving." I didn't move, not fully processing what he had just said.   
  
"NOW!" He yelled. I jumped slightly. Sure, he wasn't the nicest guy in the world, but usually his voice was soft and dangerous. That last word was yelled, which worried me. He never normally yelled, just sounded annoyed. I seemed like this was more serious than I had taken it for.  
  
I jumped up, not waiting for him to outburst again. "Shit!" I whispered. It had been really cramped in the closet, my neck killed. Oh well. Not like Saitou was gonna help me, and what could I do? Believe it or not, I wasn't the bright one when it came to medical stuff. That was Saitou's part, but he wasn't in the mood for chiropractics.  
  
By the time I got around and made it to the control room, the colony wasn't far ahead of us and Saitou was preparing to land. Without looking up he spoke to me, "No one on this colony besides the Commander and his top officials know of our arrival. If you value your life, you will keep quiet and not draw attention to yourself. Do not ask questions, and whatever you do, don't stand out. Do you understand me?"  
  
"Whatever."  
  
"Do- you- understand- me," he asked again, a knot of urgency mixed with annoyance, each word dragged out as if explaining it to someone totally incompetent.  
  
"Ye-s." I replied, dragging out the word as he had done. He was being annoying. Maybe I was too, but I wouldn't know.  
  
The craft landed with a soft thud in the colony and for a brief period there was no gravity. I hated that, it leaves you feeling so disoriented. But it was only for a second, and then I was returned to my normal state. As soon as the doors were shut behind us a man in a black suit and black glasses came out to meet us. Saitou didn't move to leave, so I figured I'd better stay put too.  
  
"Hajime Saitou?" The man addressed him and then looked at me , taking a glance up and down. If I didn't know any better I would think that he was undressing me with his eyes. I glared at him, and Saitou began to speak. Don't stand out. Beating the shit out of this guy might stand out, I kept having to remind myself. Usually this type of thing didn't bother me, but there was something in his facial expression that make me gag. "Where are the supplies that the commander requested you to give us?"  
  
He hesitated and turned his back on us, walking leading us slowly into a back room. I followed, close in step to where Saitou's feet landed. After a few minutes of walking down a few dark hallways, we arrived in one room that was marked with another 'restricted sign.' I groaned inwardly, I had this feeling that I was going to get into some more trouble behind this door.  
  
It was a storage room, and there were boxes upon boxes there. The man gestured to the cases, "We'll have some men move these to your ship, but we need to be quick about it."  
  
"We do." Saitou agreed and about five men shuffled into the room in a rather disoriented line, and started picking box by box up, and walking back into the halls. There were four boxes left by the time the four men left for the second round and Saitou looked over at me.  
  
"Ahou, grab one, we're running out of time."  
  
Wait, we were on a time limit? I looked over to the man in black and he glanced up quickly. Saitou pulled out a gun and quickly pulled the trigger, sending the man to the ground with a thud. I froze as a thin trail of blood passed around the man in a puddle and he began to soak. With my jaw dropped, I looked around at Saitou with terrified and downright pissed eyes.   
  
"What the hell was that for!?"  
  
"He was informing Hiradake about our location. Although I doubt anyone else knows, he did and we need to make tracks now."  
  
"How the hell do you know that!?"  
  
"A few moments ago when he made that call to the commander his call was changed to Hiradake. I read his lips."  
  
"Ya didn't have to shoot the man!" I exclaimed, wiping a trail of splattered blood from my cheek in rage. I couldn't stand these pointless killings!  
  
"We have to leave now, ahou." He broke into a run after grabbing the two remaining boxes. I hoisted the two I was assigned, and began to head out, taking one final glance at the pale body that was still spewing cooling blood. We ran. He knew that someone heard the gunshot, and we had to get the hell out of there.  
  
Now we had a real problem on our hands. There was no way for us to open the door to get out, we had to be in the ship when it opened. Luckily, apparently the gate guard was loyal because he let us out with only a nod. I was suspicious of some trap, but Saitou either didn't care or trusted the man.   
  
But it was out of the frying pan into the fire, as they say, cause as soon as we left the colony Hiradake's men, as I could only assume, were on our tail. We didn't break free of them with as much ease this time because it had just been the guards before. This time it was experienced soldiers, but skilled as they were, they were no match for Saitou. Ten minutes into the chase we were a safe distance away and relieved as hell. But we knew that they now had us on their tracking devices, and it would be hard, if not impossible, to loose them from that. Our only option was to keep them on our radar so we knew where they were. That wasn't going to help much, though, they could always send more guys in new ships. All we could do was keep running until we could run no more. That wasn't going to be for a while, though, because someone had obviously not been informed they were trapping us.  
  


* * *

  
On the way out I received a dozen bruises from the jerky maneuvers that Saitou pulled the ship through. Yeah, he was a good pilot and all, but he could have at least warned me to get a seat belt on! After we reached outside their grasp, or at least when they stopped following, the first thing that I did was rip off my shirt. That man's blood was flooding my nostrils and I couldn't take it any longer! I crumbled my shirt up, and then chucked it at Saitou's head with a certain amount of vigor. I nailed him, and he dismissed my perfect aim by dropping it to the floor.  
  
"Bastard." I mumbled, and dropped to my knees, searching through my bag for a pair of clean clothes. The kind of clothes that would be good for lounging around and doing absolutely nothing. I pulled my jeans off, they also held that uncomfortable scent of blood, and pulled back on a pair of sweats. For a shirt I decided on a nice, tight tank top. When I looked back up, Saitou was engulfed in a cloud of smoke. That pissed me off.   
  
"Put that out! I'm not gonna smell that goddamn cigarette smoke all the way to where ever the hell it is we're going!"  
  
He didn't do anything besides look mildly amused and blow out another haze of the cancer.   
  
"I'm not lookin' to get cancer from second-hand smoke, damnit!"  
  
"It shouldn't be a problem, since there's medicine (1)."  
  
"That smell is what's terrible!"  
  
"Then put on your helmet." He gestured to the case on his right that contained two space suites, helmets and all. I wasn't about to use a fricken helmet as a gas mask!  
  
"I turned my music off, you put that out!"  
  
"I turned your music off, ahou."  
  
I glared and stalked over to the man.  
  
"Fine! Then _I'll _put out that piece of shit!" I plucked the stick from his lips and tossed it to the ground, grinding it down into nothingness with my heel. He glared at me, and without another word I turned my back to him and stormed over to the bar stool at the other end of the ship. I never looked at him, but as I lulled my head on the table I could hear his footsteps slowly approach me. I tightly closed my eyes.  
  


* * *

  
  
"Make dinner, ahou." He said as if the tension of our previous argument was non-existent. Maybe it was to him. Anyway, I really didn't appreciate him ordering me around like that.  
  
"Make it yourself. I'm not your maid."  
  
"You are for now. While I'm doing important things, make yourself useful."  
  
I groaned inwardly. I was really lazy, nothing to do and not willing to accept something to do, but there was a tone of finality in Saitou's voice that forced me not to argue.   
  
I pulled my head that now felt like a ton of bricks up from the table where it had rested and pulled my lazy ass over to the supply room. I really hadn't noticed until now how hungry I was, and I was reminded in a less than pleasant way when I walked into the room. Boxes and boxes of beans. Maybe a couple week's supply of meat, but years of beans. Not that I particularly hated the vegetable, but I didn't really like it either. This was really beginning to suck. In fact, it had been for a while.   
  
I pulled a package out. Kidney beans. Lovely. I also pulled a pot from a small table and went to fill it with water. If there was any bright side in the food situation it was that we wouldn't run out of water. As long as we are in a Hydrogen rich area with even the slightest amount of Argon, our converter will be able to make water. At least, until we run out of fuel. But that wasn't going to happen any time soon, and when it did, in a year or so, then we might already be on earth's remains, or dead. Neither one seemed favorable.  
  
The pot was full of water. I put in the beans and then set it in the heater. In a few second they were done, at which point I called Saitou from his work at the computer to eat.  
  
What a wonderfully delicious dinner. I had never been particle to any of this stuff... I groaned as Saitou pushed the plate in front of me and began to eat himself, while going over what looked to be a report. I poked at the beans and then looked back up at the man that was currently ignoring me. "What's that?" I asked carelessly, tapping my fork on the packet he was reading.   
  
"Its a list of all the archives in the ship's computer system. I'm looking over them and starting my search here."  
  
"How many of them are they?"  
  
"Over three million."  
  
"Three million!? What the hell is in there!?"  
  
"Mostly arrests and standard case files. I know that something important about Earth would be encrypted and disguised as a case file, but I don't know what it would be covering as. It would take forever to go through all of them, so I'm trying to narrow down the choices."  
  
"By what? Enie meanie, minie mo?"  
  
"Basically."  
  
I had finally placed a bit of food in my mouth, only to chock on it as the officer decided to take a stab at some bad humor.  
  
"No fucking way! It's that random!?"  
  
"No. But it seemed to be the answer you were looking for."  
  
"Quit fucking around and tell me how you're eliminating the choices!"  
  
"First of all, these files date back to before 3000 AD. That's over a century of files to look through. I'm guessing we can cross off any recent files, since, from the way Hiradake was talking, they have been investigating this for a while."  
  
"But how long?"  
  
"The Earth and the rest of the Universe is moving as a rapid pace forward at an infinite pace. Some scientists speculate that the movement and the orbits at that speed are gradually increasing in velocity, and will eventually move in a boomerang. The future occurs because of how we're moving forward, and eventually the boomer will snap us backwards. As you look into space you're looking back in time because of the speed of light, the light you see is from the past and had been traveling years to get to you, billions of years, actually since the beginning of time. So that means that if the galaxy is bent, then you would be traveling back in time. Space and time are active dynamics in the universe, which means that by moving in space you are moving in space-time, and therefore traveling in to the past or future, depending on which direction. The only way we would be able to prevent traveling in space-time would be to travel at the speed of light which is impossible due to the fact that energy equals mass squared. So you would need and infinite amount of energy to accelerate something to the speed of light. If we make that journey backwards we will actually begin--"  
  
"We will begin to live in the past." I cut in, this was some of the shit theorized that my schools books covered. "Now what the hell does this have to do with the Earth?"  
  
"I was getting there, ahou."  
  
"Continue, then."  
  
"As I was saying, Earth, during the force of that nuclear explosion might have been thrown a great distance out in our little moving universe, and we don't know where it would have been thrown to, because of the speed that universe may be traveling at."  
  
"So how the hell are we supposed to find it if you're not even sure if we can get there in our life time!"  
  
"Exactly." Saitou looked up with a proud look of realization. "... that's what they're doing." He looked back down to the paper and I felt the sudden need to slap him. Was he going to tell me or not!?  
  
"Come one, asshole! Tell me what's up!"  
  
"Think about this ahou." He placed the paper down and looked me in the eyes. "If this planet was thrown **back **into space millions and millions of years, and we're moving in a way that results in time flow, how would anyone be able to reach that planet _in _their life time under normal circumstances?"  
  
Then it came crash and I dropped my fork.   
  
"You don't think that they can use that time flow to their advantage?!"  
  
"I didn't think it was possible, but when you think about it theoretically..." He trailed off, expecting me to finish the thought mentally.  
  
"However, if that planet is caught in the past, wouldn't it be caught up in the explosion!?"  
  
"Technically, it would. And I think that's the reason behind the unlimited power."  
  
The room silenced and I tried to stray away from my train of thoughts. How would someone obtain that type of energy without being sucked up into it? We had to kill the thing. But how the hell do you kill a nuclear explosion?  
  
I ate in silence as Saitou set the papers down and sent two marks with a swift oval, pen squeaking over the paper in protest. I looked down to the paper and noted the words.  
  
Reperio and Terra. They were close to each other in the list, with only three phrases between them. I blinked a few times. "What's that, Saitou?"  
  
"Reperio and Terra are Latin words. Reperio is 'to find', and Terra is 'Earth'. They are the only Latin words in there. I think we have a pretty damned good chance now."  
  
"Wait.. then what is the ac Diruo that they were talking about in the plan?"  
  
"To Destroy."  
  
"And that's why we come in, ne?" I winked and he nodded cautiously.  
  


* * *

  
_I walk into the room. It's all white and the walls are blank. There are no windows. Padded walls. Weird. There was nothing in the room. Now there was a big bed with fluffy pillows and it was… pink? This was getting weirder. Now Saitou's on the bed. Now he's naked. Weird. Nice. Incredibly wonderful… but weird. Saitou's voice comes out husky and breathless. "Take me now Sano."  
  
Weird. I don't mind though. I run up and hastily begin to undress myself. I jump on the bed next to him and whisper, "Saitou!" _  
  
Then I hear a, "What are you doing, ahou?" And open my eyes to find myself back in the space ship hurdling through time and space, sitting in my cot with Saitou sitting at the table going over those papers. So much for that.  
  
"Yes, you called?" Saitou asked sarcastically. "Or were you just dreaming about me?"  
  
If only he knew. Ugh. I didn't want to think about it.  
  
I chose to ignore his last comment. I just wanted him to forget about it so that maybe he wouldn't speculate too much and come to the conclusion I was fantasizing about him. That made it sound sick. I didn't like that word, 'fantasizing'. Dreaming about him, more accurately, although it was pointless because he had already come to that conclusion, but maybe he was just joking, in fact he probably was joking, but at any rate… aww, shit all this thinking was giving me a headache.  
  
Saitou seemed to ignore his comment as well, not particularly looking for an answer. But I had a question of my own. "Saitou, why did ya make tracks as fast as ya did and drag me with you?"   
  
He raised an eyebrow and looked up at me.  
  
"Because you would have been killed."  
  
"Yeah, but you could have become involved in the project with your status and all, why did ya jet like that and save me instead of a promotion?" I inquired, leaning back down against the cool tile surface of the table that I had walked over to, sitting myself across Saitou again.  
  
"No matter what happens, losing an innocent life to some kind of power is ridiculous. Any man with half a heart, regardless of intelligence would see that it was the right thing to do."  
  
"Riiiight." I drew it out in a sarcastic manner. He set the paper down and looked at me.   
  
"Why do you ask, ahou? Would you rather be dead right now?"  
  
"Woah, woah, woah! It's not like I'm not grateful! It's just that it seems like you did something a little... out of character for someone like you..." It was hard to put it to words, and maybe it was just me and my overactive imagination looking for something that had an ice cube's chance in hell of being there.   
  
"What is it really, ahou? There's something on your mind that you're not saying. Just come out with it."  
  
I felt a little squeamish under those gold eyes, but since there had never been a filter between my mouth and brain worth mentioning, I just plainly said, "Well I was thinking that ya might have felt somethin' for me, ya know?"  
  
"Felt something?" He repeated, arching an eyebrow.  
  
"Yeah, ya know. Something a bit more than a 'good will towards all,' sort of a thing."  
  
"Sanosuke,"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I…" He began softly, but his tone of voice changed, "I don't know where you get these idiotic thoughts. I'm drawn to men. You're nothing but a boy to me." He paused. "The son I never had," he added drenched with sarcasm.   
  
I shot a dirty look at him. A boy. How could he think that… I was more than of age, and definitely mature enough. I couldn't help feeling that that there were some feelings Saitou was hiding, and I was going to find them. Whatever it took. This could be fun.  
  


* * *

  
(1) Yup, in this day and age cancer's as common as the flu, baby!  
  
Next part coming soon! But be sure to comment and tell us what you think!!  



	3. Part Three

Notes: *giggles* Yeah, here we have a small break from all the stuff that makes you think a little too much... so enjoy it while you can! We'll rack your brain in the next chapter! ^____^  
  
Warnings: AU, Sano still chasing after Saitou, slight Jime OOC, but since it's an AU ya never know! ^__~  
  
  
Reperio ac Diruo Terra Operation  
  
By: Emmy and Anji  
  


* * *

  
It had been three days. Three days of Saitou working at the goddamned computer. He never talked, never slept, never really ate besides what I shoved down his throat and, hell, barely ever blinked. I was getting bored with this routine!  
  
I initially replenish some sleep lost during the exam period prior, but now I was charged and ready to go!  
  
Only I was confided to this itsy-bitsy space with no human interaction. My 'dream' persisted and I was two hops and a jump away from going insane. In space there was no sun to indicate when it was time to sleep and time to stay awake. My biological clock had been officially shot, and I didn't look at the clocks inside the ship. I had no idea what time it was, so I couldn't beg Saitou to go to sleep because it was 'late.' He was still trying to decode the encrypted files. These had to be it, since they were so hard to access.  
  
I sat myself in the co-pilot seat and stared. Stared at a man who didn't need food or sleep to survive or probably air, if I took the time to cut it off.  
  
"What is it, ahou?" That was the only question he had asked me during these three days.  
  
My normal answer would have been, "Nothing," and then some snide comment that I knew he could hear. But today was different. I stalked over and pulled his spiny stool toward me, clamping both of my arms down on the arms of the chair. He was trapped, for the most part, and even if my strength didn't hold him, my eyes would. "I'm really pissed that you're doing this. Eat something! Sleep! Do something besides fuck your eyes up with that goddamned computer screen!"  
  
"This is what I need to be doing now. There will be a time for sleep and a time for food later."  
  
"Not if you're dead!"  
  
"I know my body better than anyone. I'm not about to throw my life away because of that reason."   
  
"You may know you're body, but you're blind to your limits! Please, do me a favor and take a break!"  
  
"I'm too close. I will, as soon as I finish up with this."  
  
"Jime, you are such an ass!" I spat out and decided to take advantage of my position. Without another thought, I covered my mouth with his and placed my hands over his, holding his limbs down to the chair arms. After four seconds I pulled away and rested my forehead in the crook of his neck.   
  
"This is such bullshit." I mumbled in a harsh tone.  
  
"What did I tell you, ahou?"  
  
I was quick to respond.  
  
"Nothing that I would actually care about."  
  
He shifted. I could tell that he was uncomfortable, but if he was so set on hurting me then I didn't see why he couldn't just push me away.  
  
"Are you quite done with your little lecture, Sanosuke?"  
  
"Wow, you used my name." I commented blankly, but didn't move. I was quite happy with my current position. He was warm, really warm... it felt so nice. He didn't abruptly push me off, that surprised me, honestly.   
  
I guess this was his way of pity. Oh well, I hated pity from anyone, especially from him. I cocked my head slightly and nipped at his neck, then stood up. He stared at me with an amused expression and then asked in a sarcastic voice, "So do I have permission to continue?"   
  
I glared at him and shot, "Yeah, but hurry your old ass up. I don't have all the time in the universe!"  
  
There was a smirk playing over his lips as he turned the chair back around and went back to clicking at those goddamn computer keys. I picked up a notebook that I had brought along on the journey. I made a few little sketches and wrote down some little notes, mostly diary stuff, but I sure as hell wasn't going to call it that.  
  
About an hour later I heard Saitou 's chair swerve around and his feet hit the ground. I looked around to where I heard him moving form. I was truly smiling as he sat down at our little table and grabbed a small ready-to-eat dish, beans of course. I immediately stood up and sat myself down in front of him and his food.  
  


* * *

  
"So what's the information you got?" I inquired almost immediately.  
  
"Over a thousand sub-files in the archive. Every one of them encrypted. However, while I'm decoding those, we will be heading to the planet Earth."  
  
"You got the coordinates!?" I demanded, restraining myself from slamming my hands down on the table.  
  
"Yes I did. After some work I did."  
  
"Some work!? Jime, please give yourself more credit than that!"  
  
"It took me longer than what it should have. I have no right to commend such an effort."  
  
"Then I will!" I stated, quickly taking the food in with one large swallow. He leaned over, picking at a packet of cereal without any milk. The only kind we had in here was strictly for emergency use. We weren't in a completely dire situation, so Saitou had told us that we needed to restrain ourselves. I guess that was the only good source of calcium on the ship and if we were dying of calcium-withdrawal... OK, that was fucking ridiculous!  
  
I looked out a small porthole-like window and knitted my eyebrows together high on my forehead. I really hated space...  
  
"Sanosuke, weren't you going to be a commander one day? That's what you were going for if I'm not mistaken."  
  
"You're right, why?" I looked back to him, tearing my eyes from the infinite black sky in the background.  
  
"How many people went to your specific academy?"  
  
"Around 200, why do you ask?"  
  
"Did you know Yahiko Myojin?"  
  
"Huh? I think, was he a smaller kid, tan, spiky black hair?"  
  
"One in the same."  
  
"Now what about him?"  
  
"I have to say that by watching that generation, I felt slightly ill. You and that boy were the best candidates there."  
  
I frowned. Yeah, and that was something that I could never go back to... But then, picking up something I roughly demanded.  
  
"Hey Jime! That was a sorry-assed attempt at a compliment wasn't it!?"  
  
He looked bored with me once again and sighed.   
  
"Hajime Saitou just complimented me!" I said in disbelief and couldn't suppress a laugh.  
  
He looked even more bored then before, if possible and rolled his eyes. "Don't flatter yourself. It doesn't by any means mean that you're GOOD, it just means that you were less pathetic. The lesser of two evils."  
  
Whatever. He could try to cover it up all he wanted, but now I knew the truth. I was softening the guy up. A softer Saitou could lead to other, more desirable things…  
  
Shaking that thought out of me, I decided to change the subject and not piss him off anymore. Just for now. "So how long is it going to take us to reach earth?"  
  
"One year. Approximately. In reality, you know, we will be arriving about a month after we set course, so in about a month, but traveling time will increase that number about ten fold."  
  
I raised my eyebrows. "A year?" I questioned.  
  
"For the hearing impaired among us, I will repeat. ONE YEAR."  
  
I didn't let that comment get to me. Not that I usually did, but this time it sorta had the opposite effect. He was getting defensive trying to disguise the fact that he was beginning to like me; too bad it was painfully obvious.  
  
I couldn't help but grin, it was just too hard to suppress. And as I got to thinking about it, a year alone with Saitou was going to be a very nice thing... if we didn't kill each other first. But then I started to think plausibly.  
  
"What about our food supplies? If it's that far out, how is it that other colonies haven't already found it?"  
  
"Exactly. From where we are there are only two more colonies on the way, we're going to have to make that last stop a crucial one and stock up on supplies then." I nodded and leaned back against the wall.  
  
One whole year alone with Saitou.  
  
Wait--! Back to conventional thought!  
  
"Don't you think it'll be a little strange for us to mass-purchase all of these goods?"  
  
"Well it's not like Hiradake doesn't already know that we're heading to the planet."  
  
"But won't he notify the colonies?"  
  
"It doesn't matter if he does. We'll just have to be quick about it, get in and out. The supplies we bought from our previous little stop will last us six months. If we buy two years worth of food from the final stop, we should be all right. And we always have those plants in the back."   
  
I smirked. "So when it comes to buying will we be able to go -under cover-?" I empathized the words with a smirk, not only to get a rise out of Jime, but to also see if I could play spy when I wasn't cooped up in this area. Saitou did nothing but look at me blankly.  
  
"If you want to think of it as a game, go right ahead."  
  
"Cha-ching! This'll be fun!"  
  
"I can't believe how immature you are."  
  
"I'm havin' fun! Bite me, Jime!"   
  
I disregarded the thought of Saitou muttering under his breath, "You would just love that." because it would have been too out of character. Maybe it was just my brain getting carried away with me again. Any how it would be another week before we arrived at the next colony, and that meant a week of doing nothing. Hell, it was gonna be a year of doing nothing.  
  
"Jime?" I began casually.   
  
"What is it?"  
  
"How do ya kill something that's continuously blowing up?"  
  
"Well, we have a year to think about that, don't we?"  
  
"No fucking way! You haven't even thought of -that-!?"  
  
"If you can remember, at the time I was just planning on keeping -your- sorry ass alive. I didn't worry about what we were going to do after."  
  
"No fucking way... but still--!"  
  
"Sanosuke, we don't even know if my theory is correct, so we have nothing to go off from. For all we know, this planet may contain something completely different than the nuclear power that we had predicted. We'll think out all the possibilities in the year's time, and then when we finally arrive we will be ready for any scenario."  
  
I nodded and then added an after thought, "Well, I know I'm gonna have a fun time seducing ya in a year's time."  
  
"Hn. I'd like to see you try, ahou."  
  


* * *

  
"Sano-- Sanosuke…." My eyes flew open. Was that part of my dream? It had really been a nice one, and that line fit perfectly, but this time it sounded real. I surveyed the room around me and almost pissed myself when I found Saitou laying… right next to me? Was this another dream? Saitou 's bed was all the way across the room, but Saitou certainly wasn't.  
  
"Sano…" the voice trailed off again and I realized where it was coming from. Saitou was dreaming about me! Pleasant dreams, it sounded like.   
  
His arms which were less then an arms length away from me blindly gripped the air. An idea struck me. This was getting too easy. Maybe I should wake him up and let him decide for himself, but where was the fun in that?  
  
I moved slightly over to where the arms were still reaching for air. When he touched me, his hands tightened around my limbs and pulled me to him, the whole time whispering, "Sanosuke, Sano, Sano, Sano…" until I was pressed against his chest. His bare chest, by the way. His really, really, really nice bare chest. His bare chest that I was getting caught up in and forgetting about more important things… like making sure when the man woke up it would be past the point of no return.   
  
I smiled as his looped arms pulled me closer to him, but then again if I was any closer there would only be one sheet of skin between us. This felt so good, being held like this in his arms. I grinned and looked down to the man, whispering voicelessly in his ear, "If you want me you can have me...."  
  
I was answered by a swift hand pulling my sweats off, leaving me feeling a little bit more than uncomfortable in the cool room's air. Yeah, the room was cool, but Saitou sure as hell wasn't. I felt myself moving without thinking, my arms along his chest, feeling all of those... rather nicely toned muscles. He really shouldn't hide behind that stuffy officer suit like he did. As I heard Hiko always say, 'if you've got it, flaunt it.'  
  
His terminology could have also been used in this instance. For example, I had Saitou . And there was no way in hell I was going to waste this opportunity. I leaned down, this time with my mouth and kissed along the man's collarbone, hoping to get more of an active response out of him his time. He moan slightly and continued to say, "Sanosuke..." under his breath.  
  
Woah, if that didn't make me horny I don't know what did! I moved lower and toyed a small scar along his chest that seemed to be a rather sensitive area... I knew how those little intakes of air from Saitou turned me on too, I was going to continue to get those noises too. He squirmed a little at the contact, but continued to hold me close.  
  
Before I knew it, I was on the ground with Saitou standing up, looking around the room with the sirens and the bright lights flashing inside the ship. Goddamnit! I knew those wouldn't stay gone!  
  
Saitou then looked down at me with a glare and questioned sharply, "What were you just doing!?"  
  
I blinked. "Uhh…" This wasn't working out the way I had wanted. This wasn't anywhere near the point of no return and Saitou would definitely be mad if he knew what I had been doing. "I dunno. You must have sleep walked or something 'cause when I woke up you were right there." Not a lie. "Are you sure you're okay? You're kinda starting to freak me out." A small lie.  
  
He looked at me suspiciously and I shrugged.  
  
The lights stopped and I could sense a battle raging behind his eyes, but I guess he decided not to peruse the matter. "Well… then if that's settled, I'll be… going to bed now." He was really acting strangely. Did he know that I knew that he knew that I know he… okay, that was just confusing. Was he aware I was trying to rape him in his sleep?   
  
Maybe he was. Maybe he was happy about that fact. He must be, otherwise he wouldn't have muttered my name in his sleep. If anyone knew what went on in that kind of dream, I did…  
  
But the details didn't matter anymore. I knew that he wanted me, and I had a nice plan of action set in mind.  
  
I grinned, now I just had to wait until he fell asleep again, and then I could put my little plan into action. Goddamn, when he slept like that, and the mere thought of doing something like -that- when he was asleep was just making Saitou sound so vulnerable. That was really sexy too. I grinned and looked to the red numbers flashing on the digital clock. The sirens and noises had finally died down and I knew just what I was going to do now. He fell asleep and I quickly hopped over to showering area, stepping in just long enough to get slightly dampened in the mist. I ran a hand through my hair as I stepped out. If I couldn't force my way on him, I could always seduce him. Heh-heh, this was going to prove to be fun.  
  
I crept out of the shower and walked back over to where he was sleeping.  
  
I had to plan out carefully how I was going to do this without inflicting any serious injuries on either of us, but it didn't take me very long. Once I had the physics down, all I had to worry about was the execution.   
  
Slowly, and on damp feet, I crept over until I was right above where he slept. I pushed back on my foot and fell forward onto Saitou . Too bad I had *forgot* to put on a towel...  
  
In an instant Saitou's eyes were open and staring for a moment at the naked man lying on his chest. Then he reacted and sprung up from the bed. I noticed with a smile that more than just his feet had sprung up, but knowing Saitou it was going to take more than that to get into him.   
  
"What the..." he began breathlessly, "What the hell is going on here?" He finished, still gasping for air. "You-- You're... nake-- not clothed!"  
  
I just stared at him, trying to make my eyes wide. That usually got guys, that wide-eyed puppy stare. "I just took a shower and I--" I began, but at that moment stood up and grimaced. A fake grimace, of course, but I'm a pretty good actor and Saitou seemed quite convinced.  
  
"I think I hurt my ankle!" I said, after falling to the ground.  
  
For the first time in a while Saitou looked quite speechless.  
  
"I'll go get something to put on it if you have injured it." He walked over to the storage room a bit more composed than what I would have wanted. I pouted but thought up my next course of action.  
  
I could hear him rustling around the storage room; any minute now he would come back.  
  
I jumped and sprawled out on his bed, still unclothed. Maybe if he saw me laying there so vulnerable, he wouldn't be able to resist. Yeah, it was a long shot, but it could work. I was already half-way under his shell, just a little bit further...  
  
Saitou walked back into the room, and I had to bite down on my tongue not to laugh. His eyes got larger than what I would have thought possible for someone of his personality and he faltered in his step slightly. When he got to where I lay, he made point not to look at any part of my body other than my ankle. Fine with me; that only showed his weakness.  
  
I had to admit to myself that I was damned good at this. As far as I knew, Saitou had always been cold and refined -- definitely romantic. It seemed like right now, he was speechless, and that was a trip from his usual smart-assed nature. Scored! If I could make him speechless, an entirely different state for him, I could also put him in other new states. Now that I had momentum, it would be all down hill from here. Hell, I might even have him by the end of the night!  
  
He pulled from his bag a wrap and started to cover my ankle with it. When he was finished, he gave me a calculating look and then muttered,   
  
"Go put something on and go to sleep."  
  
"But--" I stammered, trying to hold on to what I had, "I-- my ankle hurts too much! Can you help me over to my bed?"  
  
I could tell that he knew what I was trying to do, but out of a shadow of doubt he stood up and extended his hand, which I gladly took and pulled myself up with. Then I rested on his shoulder while taking purposely tentative steps on my "good" ankle. This was exactly where I wanted to be-- close to him. I could think of only one place I would rather be, and I can assure you that wasn't far away either, on the contrary, as a matter of fact.   
  
Before I could savor it, the short walk across the room was over and he had set me on the bed.  
  
I looked up at him, trying to seem as naive as possible, that would add to my venerability and help me a great deal, "Jime, why don't you consider me a man?"  
  
"Ahou should get to sleep now, ahou." He stated and stood up.  
  
His tone... goddamnit!   
  
I lost my control over him!  
  
I hung my head, something had to be done. I was going to do something... I had to!  
  
I looked up to his retreating back and stood up, trying to be as silent as I could and catch him off guard without using my 'hurt ankle.' I launched myself at that back and latched onto him as he tried to make his escape. I didn't catch him off guard, he was already turned around and supporting my limbs in a kind way. But it was platonic...  
  
Shit! When the hell had I lost the control!?   
  
Only one thing could be done. I covered my mouth over his and pulled my arms from his grasp, wrapping my arms around his neck and holding on for dear life. This time he hasn't let me continue. He pushed me away, back to the bed and on the way down I think I had hurt my ankle. His voice was low, "Stop it, ahou. If you eventually get your way, you'll be over your head. Stop while you can."   
  
He turned away as I was frozen in place. This time my ankle throbbed for real, and even if my heart should have been from that mental blow, it wasn't. It just increased my determination. Hajime Saitou, I 'm not done with you yet!  
  


* * *

  
  
End of part three 


	4. Part Four

Warnings: All the same warnings, but in this chapter there is an itty-bitty bit of Kaoru/Sano... ~_~  
  
**Reperio ac Diruo Terra Operation**  
  
By: Emmy and Anji  
  
**Part Five**  
  
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This man seemed more friendly and definitely a lot less secretive than our dead friend. He waved to us with a smile, although Saitou looked at him suspicious.  
  
"Goro Fujita? Wang Angnai. Nice to meet you." He shook Saitou's hand as we stepped out of our ship. "And this is?" Wang Angnai motioned to me.  
  
"That's my son Hiradake Fujita." Son?!? Bastard... "Please fill out fuel tank and give us 5 kilometers in storage. I'll go talk to your supervisor about diner supplies required. Where can I find Mr. Rienhaert Müeller?"  
  
"Ahh, Mr. Müeller's office is through that door and down the hall, room RB47-6." His directions were received by our retreating backs as we headed towards the door he had pointed to.  
  
The hallways was relatively dim, but not empty. Not a square foot was not filled with somebody rushing to get some where, most of them Chinese, but some white.  
  
Rienhaert Müeller, whoever the hell he was, was easily the most important guy around. Not only did we have to go through a secretary and security guards, to whom we had to state our business, and a strip-search with a really muscular guy that left me feeling extremely violated.  
  
Finally we got into the office and after all I had sacrificed, I was expecting something pretty damn spectacular. Not so. The office was ever darker than the halls and this Müeller guy was just... creepy. Nothing like Wang Angnai, the exact opposite. He was like a fucking vampire! And he asked the weirdest questions, I was starting to think he was on to us.  
  
As a matter of small talk he brought up the latest news about two convicts that escaped from colony 35-2457-94394 and had supposedly stole some money and were heading for the escaped convict colony 367429.  
  
Saitou had elegantly dismissed the little accusation and started another conversation. This one involved no small talk. "Now can we discuss the matters at hand?" He tried to be polite. But it certainly sounded more demanding that what he was surly intended it to be.  
  
"We may Mr. Fujita. And what -was- that matter?" He questioned sharply, rivaling Saitou's harsh tone like it was some sort of right of passage. I just stood there, blinking and breathing, but not doing that much of anything else. The two stared each other down for a moment, and I prayed that they didn't just break out and kick the shit out of one another, 'cause from the looks of it, that's what they were aiming to do.  
  
It was about a minute before anyone did anything.  
  
"Our ship had been malfunctioning. Our computers, actually." He stated, and I couldn't help but wonder what the hell was going on. Why didn't I know about this... "The searching and locating features have an error in the 46th HK drive hasn't been working correctly... Whenever I try to run the AlphaZeta file, it tells me access is denied."   
  
"That's a verrrry serious problem, Mr. Fujita." He drew out the word very agonizingly and I found myself wondering when he would stop, and also wondering at his motive. "That will take weeks, a month at best, to fix. In the meantime, I offer you the hospitality of our wonderful colony. Please, feel at home in our facility. Now, if there are no further matters, it would be great if you were to leave my men and I to our devices, there is no need to supervise repairs. When you exit the room you will find that Kaoru Kamiya will be thrilled to show you to your room."  
  
The tone in his voice was final and Saitou, although I was really suspicious of this guy, seemed to think there was no need to pursue anything. Whatever. I trusted him.  
  
Kaoru Kamiya was… spirited, to put it nicely. She was bubbly one moment and then slapping me the next, but not dull for a moment. She skipped as she led us on the grand tour of the Mechanical District, through the cafeteria, and into the sleeping quarters.   
  
This place sure was rich. Every hall was immaculate and the rooms… the rooms were great, for lack of a better word. I found out to my disappointment that they had different rooms planned for us, which really lowered my chances of breaking Saitou more. Damn.  
  
Anyway, this was a great change in luxury from that cramped and increasingly dirty (we, or I at least, were too lazy to clean it) ship. Soft beds, nice bathrooms, and just about every little detail you could wish for. I found out from the tiny digital clock that it was 10:30 p.m., which really sucked. I was going to be expected to sleep soon, but I had just woken up. Oh well. At least I could enjoy the nightlife. Maybe if I got a certain Wolf drunk…  
  
Kaoru bowed herself out of the room after assuring me that she would be back at 12:00 the next day to get us acquainted with everything, and after informing me that Megumi Takani would come in the next morning as well to clean.  
  
After I was alone, I changed out of the sweats I had worn for the past couple of days and changed into some tight black pants I had thrown in my bag at the last moment, along with a tight white shirt. I had to admit as I looked at myself in the mirror that I was pretty damn sexy. How could he turn me down tonight?  
  
I was planning to have some fun, something that I had neglected for a long while. Hey, there were clubs here and I might as well have fun and use them! I grinned and grabbed my coat. Saitou wasn't going to let me leave if I asked permission, and I was only going dancing for a little while. I could just sneak back in since 'Dad' was busy with the paper work. Maybe after I kicked a few beers back I would have a better chance at seducing Saitou... What a wonderful little plan I had!  
  
I found myself grinning as I opened the front door of our little sleeping area and crept out.   
  
"Ahou. Where do you think you're going?"  
  
Shit, I was caught. I grimaced and turned around to face him. "Uhh, to the bathroom?" I tried. He walked around the corner, cigarette hanging loosely from his mouth, and gave me a quick look over.  
  
"To the bathroom dressed up like that with your jacket?"  
  
"What's wrong with my outfit?!"  
  
"Besides looking like you're heading to your corner to make some pocket money, nothing."  
  
"Hey! I'm not some kind of whore! And Jime, if I didn't know any better I'd say you're jealous."  
  
He looked bored. "You saw how close a watch Mr. Rienhaert Müeller is keeping on us. You'll be a liability if you just leave like that. He'll take the opportunity to try something."  
  
"Oh really? Well if you're so concerned then why don't you come with me, Dad." I sharply snapped, placing my hands on my hips.  
  
"It would be better if you stayed here."  
  
"Come on! This is the last time for us to relax in how long!? In the present and in the future!? We're not going to get any fuckin' break! Let's just enjoy it! Please, just let me do this!"  
  
"Ahou." He warned and I raised my voice a bit more.  
  
"You're such a prick!"  
  
"Then why are you pursuing me?" He asked moderately interested.  
  
"Being sexy has nothing to do with being a prick." I winked and then shook my head. This was not the time for this, I was fighting for my last rights before my little hell started in that stuffy patrol car for the next fucking year!  
  
He stood up and I looked at him blankly, cocking my head. "I'm only doing this because of our unique situation and because of the circumstances."  
  
"Wait, you're coming with me!?"  
  
"Someone has to keep an eye on you."  
  
"Heh heh. You have to promise me one thing though."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Dance with me?"  
  
  
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It wasn't very hard to find the Entertainment District. As soon as we stepped from the sound-proof walls of our bedrooms you could hear the faint blaring of music, so all we had to do was follow our ears. Five blocks, two staircases, and one anti-gravity chamber later we reached our destination.  
  
I grabbed Saitou's hand. He wrenched it away. I grabbed it again. He wrenched it away again. I decided to quit while I was, um… behind, and then settled for walking very, very close to him. Pushing him slightly in the direction of the nearest club, one radiating really fast techno music, I started to head over to it, until I was interrupted by a high voice saying, "Hiradake? Hiradake Fujita?"  
  
I turned away from Saitou to see Kaoru bobbing up and down in the crowd waving and yelling, "Are you going to Pluto's?" She motioned in the direction of the dance club they were on their way to.   
  
"Yeah!" I yelled back. I hope she didn't want to join us… Saitou was supposed to be my father.  
  
"So am I!" She cried again, this time much closer. "Can I join you two?"  
  
What was I supposed to say? Sorry, but I want to be alone to put the moves on my dad? So I went for, "Sure! That's be great!" Smooth, Sano.   
  
I looked back at Saitou to see a smirk planted on his face. He leaned towards me and whispered, "Someone's got a crush on someone."  
  
This was not going very well. But it was in my best interest to survive. I'm sure Kaoru wouldn't be there the *entire* time. I was sure of that, I mean, didn't girl's have to go powder their noses every five seconds? I could get that time to be alone with Saitou, and THEN put the moves on him. The club was dim, with flashing lights, just like the one on my home colony, however this one was larger. I leaned on Saitou as we walked through the dancing bodies and found a table along the sides. We took a seat and tried to talk over the pounding tempo of the music. I found myself nonchalantly swaying to the sound of the music, I was really wanting to dance.  
  
Suddenly, and without warning and idea dawned on my. Jealously.  
  
That must have been the way to get Saitou! And if Kaoru was here, my plan just might work... although he might not have admitted it now, but I'm sure when we got back onto the ship he would SHOW me just how much sexual tension I had worked up on him. I found myself with a stupid smirk on my face. A waitress came by and asked about our drinks, and we gave her a small order. Kaoru smiled as me when a song came on, from the group Mortal.  
  
"Oh! I love this song! Can you dance with me, Hiradake?"  
  
I smiled. And this was my cue.  
  
I nodded and took the hand she reached out to me. I turned and looked over my shoulder, giving Saitou a saucy wink, "I'll be back later, Dad."  
  
He nodded, and took out a cigarette.   
  
As much as I would have liked to go to the center of the dance floor and have all eyes on me, I had to stay close to Saitou so he could watch. This was a dance mix of the same song that had pissed him off so much on the ship, and it really kicked ass. Immediately I pulled Kaoru close to me and executed a couple sexy moves that had always driven women wild back home. Not that I had cared, but now I was seeing how this kind of thing could come in handy.  
  
I could tell Kaoru didn't dance like this very often, mainly cause she just followed what I did. She was really a boring dance partner, and she was running me out of breath with all the energy I had to spend keeping the dance exciting and… provocative. Saitou seemed unaffected by the whole thing, but I knew better than to only judge by his facial expressions. I seemed like he always wore that stony "I don't give a shit" look. Instead I watched little things, such as his body language and interactions with other people.  
  
In that sense, he was really getting restless of watching Kaoru and me. He even snapped worse than normal at the waitress who came to refill his drink, the third of which he was on now. It was working! Time to rest.  
  
After five straight songs, and severely out of breath, I took Kaoru's hand and led her back to the table. I sat down and Kaoru sat next to me and leaned her head on my shoulder. "That was fun, Hiradake!" She yelled over the music, breathing hard. "You're a really good dancer!"  
  
I smiled at her, a seductive smile.  
  
Saitou, who had been watching us with an updated "I'm disgusted, but I still don't give a shit" look on his face stretched his arms and yawned. "I'm tired and it's late. You two can stay here, but I'm going back to my room."  
  
Bastard! He knew that if he left, my plan wouldn't work! Well, I wasn't going to give up that easy. I still had another trick up my sleeve. "We'll leave too. I'm tired, aren't you Kaoru?" She nodded. "Why don't you come up to my room with me? I'm having trouble getting the messenger to work. Maybe you could help me?"  
  
"I'd love to!" She said, barely a whisper.  
  
Saitou led the way, Kaoru and I just steps behind him. Saitou's room was right next to mine and his was first, but I made sure that he saw me open the door for Kaoru and let her in before he disappeared behind his room.  
  
Now that that was over, I had to figure out a way to get Kaoru out without seeming rude and without making her think I wasn't interested anymore-- I had plans to use her again later.   
  
"So," she said with an amused look on her face after sitting down on my bed. "You're having trouble with the… messaging device?"  
  
Instead of walking over to the bed where she was clearly beckoning me, I went over to the large computer screen. "Yeah. I can't get the mute feature or the blackout feature to work."  
  
Kaoru blinked. She obviously hadn't thought I actually wanted help.   
  
Breathing deeply, she sighed, "Well, to get it to mute, press this button." She pointed to a large red square with the word "MUTE" written in large, black, bold text. "To get it to blackout, you press this." She pointed to another large red square with the word "BLACKOUT" written in large, black, bold text.  
  
Feeling like an idiot, I smiled an innocent smile and said, "Thank you so much! I'll see you tomorrow?"  
  
With a look of disbelief she replied, "No… no problem. See you tomorrow…." She trailed off as she closed her eyes and leaned towards me.  
  
I gulped, I wasn't really ready... or willing for this, but I still had a trump card with Saitou, even if he was in the next room over. I lead her over to the wall that Saitou and I shared, and with a nice, forceful, but non-harmful push, I pressed her against the wall. Saitou had to have heard that one. I pressed my lips to hers, even if it was grossing mine out slightly. Yeah, she was a nice chick, but there wasn't anything between us in any other way but the way of friendship. I pulled away and placed a kiss on her neck, mumbling into her ear, "Say my name..." in a very, very, very, seductive tone.  
  
She groaned as I fluttered butterfly kisses down her neck and said in small whispered, "Hiradake... Hiradake..."  
  
I pulled away as I heard my door open. Oh. Imagine that, I had forgot to lock it, hadn't I?  
  
Saitou was standing there, crossing his arms and glaring at me. I smiled as him, but drew away from Kaoru. With her support (which had been me) gone, she slid to the floor with a blush painting her cheeks.  
  
I grinned, "What's up, Dad?"  
  
"I suggest you go back to your quarters, Kaoru-san. I'm afraid my son can't control his testosterone." She nodded, still as red as an apple, but excused herself modestly. After she shut the door, I turned my gaze back to Saitou, collapsing on my bed a few steps away.  
  
"So...?" I questioned him and he stalked over to me, roughly pinning me down and back-handing me in one fluid motion.   
  
"What the fuck...!?" I roared, tasting blood in my mouth.  
  
"You really are a stupid ahou. Don't you know what would happen if the commander found out that you had done that to his daughter?! The bounty of your head would double, and you would be executed immediately."  
  
"His daughter!?"  
  
"I can see you weren't paying attention when she introduced herself. Don't you ever, ever pull that again, do you understand?" He questioned sharply, his voice low and dangerous.  
  
"Goddamn, you're really an uptight prick!"  
  
"Yes. And all this time you were trying to make me jealous, you didn't even think of the consequences."  
  
"Hey! If you weren't so damned stubborn--!"  
  
"And if you would listen to me the first time around, this would have never happened."  
  
"Jime!" I yelled. I guess at that moment I just snapped and a flood of words that had been held up inside of me poured out. "I--I don't understand you! I practically throw myself at you, and all you do is stare at me-- you just… lie to yourself. How can you pretend to be so cold? I know you have feelings! Why do you hide it like that? Do you know how much better life would be for you if you opened up once in a while? Listen to me! Just try it-- only once. It won't kill you!"  
  
He didn't say a word. Just stared. In an exasperated manner I collapsed on to the bed and closed my eyes. To my surprise, he whispered, "Sanosuke… " in a tone that I had never heard, nor thought I would, from him. Then I felt him lay down next to me. I opened my eyes-- I couldn't believe that this was happening. But it was. There he was, lying down beside me, what I had wanted forever. It was happening.  
  
I leaned over to kiss him, but he stopped me by putting his hands to my shoulders. "Not now." His voice had returned to its normal state, but I could never let that fool me again. I had seen under his barrier, I had heard what was in his heart. "Let's just sleep together." He continued.  
  
I clapped my hands, which turned out the lights, and then moved over so that I was laying in his arms. I didn't care that we weren't doing anything. This was what love was really about, not sex, not words, simply being together. And I was in love.  
  
  
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End of part four 


	5. Part Five

Notes: This is shorter than usual! Sorry!!   
  
Reperio ac Diruo Terra Operation  
  
By: Emmy and Anji  
  
**Part Five**  
  
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There was no alarm clock that woke me up, nor was there a knocking at my door, telling me that I was going to be late for classes. It was more like an internal clock that went off inside, and I found myself stirring, and snuggling into something warm. I sighed, it felt so good, even if I didn't know what it was. Then it hit me... The night before didn't Saitou...?  
  
I smiled and nuzzled closer to the heat, breathing in the man's unique scent. Everything felt... oddly perfect at this moment.  
  
I opened one eyes, squinting at the artificial light steaming through the window on the colony. Damn, that light was bright. Saitou was still asleep, holding me in his arms. Without thinking, I leaned forward silently and placed a light kiss on his cheek, thinking that something so small wasn't going to wake him. I would have been happy watching him sleep, but he had to wake up after that one touch!   
  
His eye lids opened quickly, and amber eyes met mine. I gave him a sheepish grin, still tucked in his embrace, and asked quietly, "Sleep well?"  
  
"Surprisingly. Hn. You bruise easily." He commented casually, running an un-gloved finger along my cheekbone.  
  
"Well bite me! That was a hard slap!"  
  
"It's too early in the morning for your bitching."  
  
I shook my head and scanned my way across the room. My eyes landed on someone that was in there with us.  
  
"What the fuck!?" I shouted, looking at the woman who was blushing slightly. "Who the hell are you!?"  
  
"Oh. I'm your maid... I let myself in, and I'm sorry if I'm interrupting anything... You two are father and son... right?"  
  
I blushed and dove my face into Saitou's chest. This was not a question from a complete stranger that I ever want waking up to again!  
  
Saitou looked intently at the girl standing at the head of the room, contemplating what to say. Finally he settled for, "It is none of your business how we interact. You are simply a servant, and you have no right to inquire into the matters of those you serve. I may have to have a word with your employer if you continue in such an obvious breech of respectability."  
  
Go Saitou. Tell her off. I just loved the way he made others feel stupid and insignificant, as long as it was towards someone besides me, and I got to watch.  
  
"Excuse me, Master Fujita! Please excuse me. I'll just… leave now… you can… just call me when you wish to have your room cleaned… my code is 429B89H… I'll just leave now…" She turned and ran-- literally ran-- to the door, before disappearing behind it.  
  
That worked well. Now that she was gone, I had better things to worry about. Like Saitou. I kissed his chest again, still marveling at my tact in getting so close to him. "Jime…" I whispered, but he sat up and started to get out of bed. Damn him! I grabbed for one of his legs and caught it.  
  
"What are you doing?" He asked in a very annoyed tone.   
  
"Don't get up! It's not like you have to…" It had felt so nice just laying there with him.  
  
"I have some very important matters to attend to before noon, and it's already ten thirty. Now, if you'd let go of my leg, I need to take a shower."  
  
Hmmm. A shower. "Can I come?"  
  
He scowled. That would be a no.   
  
"Aww, come on! I need a shower and it will be more water conserving!"  
  
"It's not our water. We don't need to worry about conversing it."  
  
"It would be fun...!!" I protested, but he quickly jerked from my grip and walked into the shower room. I shrugged and collapsed back onto the soft bed, curling up and feeling the warmth that still lingered in the places we both had laid. I allowed a stupid smirk on my face. I was winning, I really was. And this was only the beginning.  
  
  
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I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I knew Saitou was looming over me with a drink in his hand. He paused and took a sip as I blinked the sleep out of my eyes. "I hope you had an enjoyable nap. I'm going to leave to take care of our food supply now, so be alert and stay here."  
  
"Hey, why can't I come with ya?"  
  
"Because then I would have to look after the two of us. You stay here like a good little boy and get some rest, or do something productive."  
  
"Something productive? Like what?"  
  
"Count to 100,000,000."  
  
"Ass."  
  
He smirked and I grabbed the drink in his hands and wetted my lips with a nice, long sip. After taking the drink I leaned in and pressed my lips against his. Saitou didn't do anything about it, just accepted the drink back again and placed his hand on his hip. "I saw Kaoru today, she asked where you were."  
  
I gulped. "And you told her...?"  
  
"That you were still sleeping."  
  
"Oh. Well that works."  
  
"She was rather disappointed that she couldn't talk to you today. My, what the heart-breaker you are."  
  
I stood up and stretched out a bit, yawning all the while.  
  
"So... how long do ya think it will take you to get all the food and shit?"  
  
"No more than two hours."  
  
"Two hours of nothing?!"  
  
"You can count."  
  
"Shaddup!"  
  
A grin played on his expression as he turned his back to me. "Don't answer the door, and if anything happens I want you to go to the ship. I'll meet you there."  
  
"Sure, Dad."  
  
And with that, he just left again. I groaned and then shut my eyes. One... two... three... four...  
  
  
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Bored, I was so fricken bored. I -had- counted... and I counted... and I counted to a point that if I heard one more number, I would murder the next thing in sight. They didn't really have a good entertainment system in the individual rooms, but because the colony was rich, they sure had a nice, little luxurious bath area. After a few internal debates, I thought that a little Jacuzzi stop may feel pretty damned relaxing!  
  
I crept into the bathroom between Saitou and my quarters. I drew the water and looked around in the cabinets for some soap or something. When I opened the cabinets it startled me how many fucking scents there were for soap!  
  
Too bad they all would make me smell like 'Luscious Lavender' or 'Passionate Peach'. I didn't want to be a fuckin' bunny rabbit! What was wrong with good old-fashioned 'Ivory Springs'? Finally found a bottle of 'Sizzling Musk', in the back of the cabinet, which was the manliest one I could find. Not that I liked the scent, but at least it wasn't 'Spring-Fruit Frenzy'.  
  
Oh god! That felt good… the water was scalding, but in a good way. It felt really good, and it reminded me of laying with Saitou. Ahh… Saitou… what a great guy… so nice and compassionate and friendly and kind to animals… jeez, time to get out! All the fumes must be getting to my head!  
  
I stepped out of the tub and wrapped a towel around my waist, before going back into the bedroom and checking the clock. Only a half hour had passed? How the hell was I going to kill an hour and a half? I could take a walk… nah I was too lazy. I could always call that cleaning lady and freak her out… nah Saitou would get pissed off. I guess there was nothing else to do besides sleep. Sleep. That sounded boring. Oh! I know! I could get on the computer and look up stuff about Saitou and I. I bet we were pretty famous by now. Maybe there would even be pictures!  
  
I turned on the small box and waited for the large screen to react, and then ditched my towel for some boxers. The computer worked pretty fast, so in only a matter of seconds I was on the cross-colony reading network.   
  
I looked at the titles and grimaced.  
  
"Transvestite and circus boy travel the galaxy illegally."  
  
"Broken trust? After an affair turns bad, ex-husband flees wife with young lover."  
  
"Jail-break! From a humble colony escapes convicts!"  
  
My eyebrows furrowed together in a frown. I didn't like all the articles and how they showed me... except the pictures of me in the articles were pretty nice... but then again with someone as photogenic as me it was hard not to take good pictures. I leaned back and closed my eyes, after exiting the browser.   
  
  
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"Hiradake? Hiradake, can you hear me?"  
  
I opened my eyes; I guess I had fallen asleep again. Why had I woken up? A soft call from the hallway jolted it back into memory. That sounded like Kaoru… damn, it was Kaoru!  
  
I jumped out of bed. Yeah, way to make her feel better about last night, Sano, go to the door in nothing but boxers. Oh well. She could deal with it. I pulled open the door, and immediately was pushed backwards. What the hell?   
  
"Hiradake! Or should I say Sanosuke?" she said slyly, but with a sense of urgency.  
  
My eyes widened and I shoved the door shut and grabbed her shoulders. "What do you mean? Who told you? Where's Jime?"  
  
"Jime? You mean Goro? He sent me! He told me to tell you to go immediately to the ship."  
  
I didn't move. What was going on? Had we been found out?  
  
"Move, baka! He was in a real hurry!"  
  
"Yeah, I--" I went to gather some things, but she grabbed my arm.  
  
"There's no time for that! Just--just get a shirt on or something," she said, looking at my chest and blushing furiously. I grabbed for the nearest article, a white tank. Before I could even get it over my head, she was pulling furiously at me and starting to lead me through the hallway. This was way too weird for me.  
  
We walked, or ran, rather, down two halls before two men dressed in black suits abruptly came out of a room and blocked our path.   
  
"Thank you," the taller of the men said courteously, "Miss Kaoru, but we'll take Mr. Hiradake from here."  
  
Kaoru looked panicked. "NO!" She yelled. "I need to… to take him… to his father… I…"  
  
"Thank you, Miss Kaoru," the other man said firmly, "But I need to have a word with Mr. Hiradake."  
  
Amid Kaoru's squeaks of protest, I found my arm being transferred from her fiery grip into the hand of the taller man, while the shorter took hold of the opposite.   
  
Without a word of where we were headed, I was led into the room they had come from. What was going on?!?! Where was Saitou?!?!  
  
"Sanosuke Sagara. You are under arrest."  
  
They pushed me down roughly onto a chair and them promptly locked my hands behind my back with a pair of cold steel handcuffs. I grimaced as a bit of flesh on my wrist was drawing blood due to their lack of care. This all told me one thing. We're not going to have a pleasant conversation over tea and cookies.  
  
  
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Something wasn't right, Saitou noted as he turned the corner to head back to Sanosuke's room. He had check the ship; no one was there or had been, but the systems were all green and ready to launch. He could hear a muffled sobbing coming from the room; a woman's sobbing. Without a moment's hesitation, he rushed on, practically knocking down the door and scanning along the room with his eyes a little bit less than level-headed. Kaoru was in the corner, crumbling to the floor, hot liquid streaming down her face like candle wax.  
  
She looked up through glazed eyes and took in a deep breath, choking down a sob. "I'm sorry, Fujita-san! I couldn't get to him... in time! I'm so sorry!" She wailed quietly and buried her face in her hands, hunching over onto the supporting ground for a moment.  
  
"Where did they take him?" Saitou asked silently, and as collective as he could.  
  
"Room D...K29-0...02..." She made out and quickly stood up. "But I'm going... with you!"  
  
"No you're not. They may think that I've taken you as a hostage and that will add to our bounties."  
  
"Just use me as a hostage! If it means getting Sanosuke back! I want you two to be safe, and reach whatever goal you're going after!" She announced and reached into her hips bag. She pulled out a gun and wiped the tears from her eyes. "And besides, if you don't take me as a hostage, I'll help you some other way!"  
  
Saitou couldn't help but notice the similarities between this young girl and the man that had been taken into custody.  
  
He walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to him and blinked.   
  
"Kaoru-san. I'm afraid that I can't allow you to come with us and get hurt. This is not your business." She blinked again.  
  
In one quick moment, Saitou had released the girl's shoulder and came down hard on one of her pressure points, knocking her out cold. A loud thump was heard, and Saitou looked down at the unconscious body sprawled out of the floor. He knelt down and plucked the gun out of her limp fingers. He checked to see if it was loaded, and clicked the safety off. She wouldn't be needing this, but it might be of help to him.   
  
Turning from the figure on the floor, he rushed back in the direction he came from, scanning the doors for room DK29-002. He finally found it, but it was securely locked. Damn. This was putting him in a really bad situation, but there was nothing he could really do.   
  
If he spent any more time on the colony, either his ship would be disabled or he would be caught. As long as he was alive, Sanosuke would be safe. They could use him for bait, since they would be aware of how close the two were. There was no choice-- he had to get the hell off the colony; every second was precious.  
  
Saitou had convinced himself, while fleeing, that he was not sacrificing Sanosuke, he was saving him, and he would eventually meet up with him within a year's time. And at that time, he would save him.  
  
  
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End of part five 


	6. Part Six

It had been quite a long time of staring into space. Quite a long time of thinking. Quite a long time, long enough that my torture can be slow and drawn out. Quite a long time of hell.  
  
It had been months on months. Or so it seemed, but the time tracker built into the system told him that it had been three months, five weeks and two days. Quite a long time until they reached the Earth.  
  
He had received transmission from different colonies and reports. He hadn't heard anything about Sanosuke's whereabouts, but he had detected a ship traveling within close proximity of his own. Very close. That had to be the ship where Sanosuke was. He had planned everything out so carefully. But the thing that he was planning out wasn't the destruction of Earth. It was the rescue of the youth, Sanosuke.  
  
Saitou laid his head down on the table within the cold, quiet ship. It had been so long since he heard from anyone, and although he could replay Sanosuke's every move in his mind, that didn't make up for the fact that he was no longer here. And that was his fault.  
  
He briefly fiddled with the idea of going insane from the deafening silence. Sanosuke things were still there. His clothes, his toiletries and even the Mortal CD that Saitou had tried to destroy at one point or another. Everything of his was there, except his actual person. Trying to and drown out the silence, Saitou had actually put that rock CD in, just to escape the ship's insanity.  
  
"I should be planning out the courses to Earth, not worrying about that kid..." Saitou reasoned to himself, looked across the room and eyes landing on Sanosuke's cot.  
  
He had developed a habit of talking to himself as well. Maybe it was out of denial. He didn't know, but that kid did something to him that justified the common law, "No human can live without other humans."  
  
Maybe he could have at another time, but that was before he found himself spending more than more time with Sanosuke. And now that he was gone, in the three months that was one of the only thoughts that occupied his mind.  
  
"That's it..." Saitou stated aloud, standing to his feet. "I may thinking that I would be more apt to successfully complete this mission without him, but I can't plan anything if I can't get him out of my mind..." He trailed off again and walked over to a window acting as a porthole to the infinite depths of space.  
  
"This is ridiculous. When did I become so infatuated with that brat?"  
  
"Well I was thinking that ya might have felt somethin' for me, ya know?"  
  
"I don't know where you get these idiotic thoughts. I'm drawn to men. You're nothing but a boy to me. The son I never had,"  
  
"How could I have said that to him...?"  
  
Now Sanosuke wouldn't know how he felt. He would spend his time thinking that Saitou was a heartless bastard, and though it was partially true, he had the wrong idea of what Saitou thought about him. Why did he have to be so cold? More importantly, why did he care if he was cold? These things used to not bother him. Space and being alone were changing him, but for the worse or the better he had no idea.  
  
  
  
Why did it have to be so cold? I was a dead man anyway, the least they could do is keep me warm. 'A man's final wish', I though sarcastically to myself, to be in even slightly humane conditions. But then again, I didn't even know why they were keeping me alive. Obviously they had already convicted me without a trial, so what was the point in letting me live?  
  
Saitou. He was keeping me alive without any effort. Well, maybe with effort. All he had to do was keep away from the government and I would be spared. I didn't know whether to accept my life in the dungeons of this colony or to hope he comes back to save me. The latter was more risky, but anything-- even death-- was better than this mindless existence.  
  
There were no other prisoners to converse with, I was in high security cell, and the guards, two rough looking men, kept me no company. The only time they ever spoke to me was to announce meals, and once to tell me the Commander wanted to see me.  
  
In that incidence, the only time to that point I had been out of my cell, I had been led through the spotless white halls to the very center of the colony and in through a door with the name Suzuki Kamiya engraved on a copper plaque.  
  
There was no one inside. To my surprise the two guards left, but I guess that even they weren't supposed to know about the government plot. I was alone for a long time. Maybe this was a test to see if I would try to escape or steal anything, I thought insanely. Yeah. Right.  
  
That theory, however, was proved wrong when from another door I had taken for a closet, came Kaoru, obviously in a hurry and obviously not supposed to be there. "Sanosuke!" She shouted eagerly and came to my side, kneeling from where I was handcuffed to a chair. I blinked as she kept her eyes locked on me, and fumbled with a chain of keys.  
  
"Woah, Missy... what are ya plannin'?" I slurred suddenly.  
  
"What does it look like! I need you get you out of here!"  
  
"Yeah... but where the hell would I go?" I snapped bitterly. Saitou hadn't come back for me, it was obvious that he didn't want anything to do with me. Finally he had gotten ride of me...  
  
"Don't think like that! You can catch up with Saitou-san!"  
  
"Don't be fuckin' ridiculous! He finally got rid of me, I don't think he's gonna want me to come back and annoy him some more."  
  
"Sanosuke!" She shouted back as she pulled out a single, rough key from the deck and I heard a click from my handcuffs as she disappeared from behind my back.  
  
Yeah, I didn't wanna be locked up, but this was gonna get Kaoru in some serious shit, and it probably wouldn't do a damned thing for me... At the same time I admired the eighteen year old's tenacity.  
  
"Follow me!" She commanded and pulled me back into that closet-like door. We rushed down a pair of halls, and then into another room. I suspected this to be her room. I looked around at the wall paper and sighed. A standard girl's room. But then one question entered my mind.  
  
"Kaoru? Why are you here?"  
  
This was Hiradake's ship... even if Suzuki Kamiya had come along for the ride, why the hell had he brought his daughter!?  
  
"Because daddy wanted me to come along for the trip. He thought it would be a good... learning experience." Her voice was a little lower than what I would have expected. She looked back up to me as I took a seat down on a little cushioned stool surrounded in pink fluff... not my best look... She walked over in long, drawn out steps and watched my face intently. She bent down, giving me a good look at her cleavage through that little uniform. I must have been gawking, because the next thing that I knew was her lips on mine, and her tongue slipping past my lips and into my mouth.  
  
I backed up abruptly, scooting back into the chair quick, but no matter how far I scooted back, she leaned in forward and kissed me harder. I ended up taking a spill onto the pale pink carpet, and even when I did that, bar stool crashing down onto my fallen form, she leaned down and held my shoulder down on the tiled floor.  
  
"Woah, what are you doing, Kaoru!?" I demanded, pushing her off of me.  
  
She grinned coyly and swiped her tongue across my cheek. "I'm finishing what you started three months ago, Sanosuke."  
  
Her weight came down onto my body hard, straddling my form. What the hell could she be thinking!? Well... I was sorta the one that induced it... but that was beside the point! I couldn't let this continue, because it would be my fault for leading her on if she actually thought something was going to happen... I had to end it now!  
  
"Kaoru... I'm really sorry... but I love Saitou... I should have told you sooner, but I couldn't..." I trailed off when I heard a cold metal encircle my wrists and a click. I looked up to the sound and found my hands cuffed together above my head, tied to Kaoru's desk leg.  
  
"What the--!?"  
  
"Ahh, Sanosuke! I don't think you understand this. It doesn't matter how you feel about me, I want you and I'm going to get you. Daddy said that you were an early birthday present, and I intend to use my birthday present to its fullest. Daddy said that the only thing I had to do was keep you in one piece and keep you as bait for Saitou-san. But he did specify that if I needed to use force, I could." She empathized her point with a quickly drawn dagger brushing its razor-sharp edge across my neck.  
  
"Shit... Kaoru, I don't know what you plan on doing, but stop, OK? Stop before you do something that you regret!"  
  
"Why would I regret this?" She trailed her soft, moist lips against my neck and down my chest, using the knife to tear the fabric of my shirt to ribbons as she worked her way down.  
  
"Kaoru... come on... please?" I tried to sound as confident as I could without choking on my words. This girl had problems. A lot of them, and I didn't want to awaken any of the ones that I hadn't already. Maybe this was a really, really bad idea... Kaoru tore and cut my shirt open and let the cool air invade my bare chest. Defintely a bad idea.  
  
Shit! As much as I wanted her to stop, hell, I was a guy, and there are some things a guy can't control! Kaoru kept stripping me. Any second she would see... aww shit, she was already there. Smiling at me she said, "So you're in love with Saitou, eh?" She stuck out her lower lip and pouted. "Too bad..."  
  
Yeah right. Like she was going to stop. But she did for a moment. She stared at me with very calculating look. "If I uncuff you," she began after a moment's silence, "Will you stay put?"  
  
I stared at her, wide eyed. After a moment, I started "I don't think that this is a very good ide--"  
  
"Ahh," she smiled, "That's not what I asked you! Will you stay put?"  
  
I blinked. What was there to loose? "Yeah."  
  
She pulled out the key chain she had used earlier in the office and unlocked the hand-cuffs which she had done rather tightly. I began to rub my wrists but she grabbed my hands and placed them on her shoulders. "Undress me." She commanded.  
  
I stared at her for a second. Then, not wanting to make her even more upset, I stiffly did what she said. After her shirt was off, the psychotic brat grabbed my hands and angrily said, "More passion!"  
  
This was making me mad. I was being thoroughly taken advantage of. "Don't you think it's a little pathetic," I asked rudely, "that you can't get a man by yourself so you have to get your dad to buy convicts for you?"  
  
She looked outraged. Standing up, she pulled me on to her bed and then grabbed the handcuffs. "What are you doing?!?!?" I yelled. I didn't want to feel that vulnerable again!  
  
"I changed my mind!" She snapped. And then I found myself hands bound (tightly, might I add) to the headboard. Fuuuck... this was not some place that I wanted to be... shit, shit, shit, shit shit.  
  
She grinned and pulled the hair ribbon from that high pony tail and left raven locks dipped in sapphire flow freely down her shoulders and curve out at her covered breasts. I closed my eyes, wondering just how long that bra was going to stay on. The only thing that could keep me from moaning under her expert hand was the fact that I didn't want this from her, I wanted it from Saitou!  
  
.... but then as she continued I kept forgetting that it was her and began to imagine the touch flowing over my body was Saitou's and not this little brat's. And that was when a groan escaped from my lips.  
  
"Hmm, you're enjoying this too, aren't you? Why not just give in, then I may be able to uncuff you." She gave me a feral grin.  
  
"Heh, why the hell would I want to--!?" Before I could finish what was supposed to be a kick-ass slam, the ribbon that was previously binding her hair wrapped around my mouth, gagging me. I choked violently as I tried to finish my sentence. Why that self-centered little bitch--!!  
  
All I wanted right now was to be back with Saitou. No matter what he was doing, even if it was physically and/or mentally abusing me... I loved him and I would be able to take this for much longer. I wasn't going to be able to control my body for much longer, and even if she couldn't technically rape me, it left me feeling violated beyond belief. Saitou... where the hell are you!?  
  
I turned away from her and closed my eyes, but she pulled it back angrily and commanded, "Look at me!"  
  
I glared at her as evilly as I could, considering the circumstances, and tried to say, "I don't feel like it!" Childish, I know, and sure to piss her off, so it's probably a good thing that I didn't get any further than, "I don't--" she stopped me and snapped,  
  
"There's nothing you can do! I can do whatever I want, whenever I want, and you don't have a choice!"  
  
"What makes you so special?" I retorted.  
  
"My dad is the commander! I told you, I can have whatever I want, whenever I want!"  
  
"Spoiled brat." I muttered. Big mistake. Next thing I felt was a hard slap across my face. For a little chick, she sure could slap hard; that would definitely leave a mark!  
  
"You're such a jerk! I used to think you were actually nice. Well fine, if you don't want me now then you won't have me now, but I think that a couple more days in jail will change your mind! Remember: I can do whatever I want with you. If I tell them not to feed you, they won't feed you. If I tell them the rough you up a little bit, that's what they'll do. I'll see you in a couple days, Hiradake!"  
  
Without uncuffing me or dressing me, she pushed a button on the wall, told the guards to come get me, and then left. She left! She left me to the guards, hand cuffed to her bed and completely naked! Bitch!  
  
The guards rushed in, and a couple gave me a good look-over. There were five in all, and it took one to get the handcuffs off, and then the other four to restrain me. I was pissed off, and that's what they needed to restrain me! Fuck her! Fuck the guards! Fuck the colony! And whatever else you wanted to! I hated this so much I didn't even pay mind to the punch I received for being a little too rowdy from a guard. But when I tasted the blood in my mouth I knew that something must have happened. They tossed me in the jail cell, tattered clothes in with me as well...  
  
Or at least what remained of my clothes... which wasn't that much.  
  
This time they didn't bother to hand cuff me, and I could actually put the remains of my clothes back. I closed my eyes once more and tired to get ride of this ... dirty feeling I had. I hadn't heard a word of Saitou, or seen him in such a long time... it kinda really sucks...  
  
"Sanosuke?" I heard a voice call from the other end of the cell.  
  
I tried in vain to cover up regions south of the border as a man walked into my cell.  
  
"What the hell is it?"  
  
"Kaoru-san asked me to come here and do... something."  
  
Shit.  
  
  
  
Saitou awoke to a beeping screen, and what looked to be a transmission coming to his ship. Suspicious. The only place he could think of getting messages from would be nearby colonies to check what he was doing, but there were no colonies in range for that.  
  
Eyeing the screen cautiously as if it were going to attack somehow, he held down the communicate button to receive the transmission. A recorded invitation to conversation came on as he heard Kaoru's normally cheerful but now downright hysterical voice.  
  
"Mr. Fujita! I mean-- Mr. Saitou. This is Kaoru Kamiya-- from the colony. I really need to talk to you… about Hiradake-- I mean Sanosuke! Reply! It's urgent!"  
  
The voice stopped and Saitou's heart skipped a beat. What was wrong? What were they doing to Sanosuke? Without further hesitation, he entered the code for Kaoru's room. Almost immediately Kaoru showed up on the TV screen looking like a total mess. Her hair was all over the place, and her eyes were red and puffy as if she had been crying.  
  
"What's going on?" He asked, voice contrasting with his normally cool and refined tone.  
  
"It's Sanosuke! I--I don't know how much longer he can hold out! They're doing all kinds of terrible things to him… starving him, beating him…" she paused and then whispered, "raping him."  
  
Saitou tried to breathe, but breath didn't come. They were hurting him like that! And it was all his fault…  
  
"I--" Kaoru continued in a frightened tone, "I don't know how much longer he can hold out." He saw a tear running down her face. "Please hurry and save him, Mr. Saitou!"  
  
"Tell him… tell him that I'm doing my best. Tell him I'll be there soon. Tell him to hang on." Saitou's voice cracked on those last words, and mentally slapped himself for showing such weakness.  
  
"I will. Goodbye, and I'll tell you if anything else happens." She gave a sad but encouraging smile and stated, "I'm sure he'll be fine." And then her image and voice disappeared.  
  
Saitou sat paralyzed staring at the screen, his mind blank. Miles and miles away Kaoru's face bore a smirk. 


	7. Part Seven

Notes: Yahoo!! Fun time! Even though they're apart ya still get the memories! =^_^= ... and then a bitchy Kaoru comes with the package ~_~  
  
Warnings: Sano/Saitou, Sano/Kaoru (against our poor baby's will ~_~) angst, AU  
  
Reperio ac Diruo Terra Operation  
  
By: Emmy and Anji  
  
**Part Seven**  
  
------------------  
  
He had planned out strategy after strategy, but none of them seemed to want to work when he put some thought to them. Whenever he even thought of what those men were doing to Sanosuke, hurting... touching him... it clouded his mind over in anger and he lost himself in that cloud. Possession wrecked his mind as he indulged the hate in a fantasy where he ripped their throats from their bodies.   
  
But even after doing that, it didn't make the hate go away. He became even more lost in his thought, and became even more angry with himself because he let this happened. In this turmoil the only thing that he could feel besides the isolation of the ship was their cold, phantasomic blood running down his finger tips and trickling onto the floor.   
  
Finally, after about a good week of trying to strategies, he received another message from Kaoru. Her voice was mellower this time, but that look in her eyes hadn't faded. This time it was clouded by doubt. With an abrupt start, he leaned in closer to the video comm. and chose his words carefully, trying to keep his voice from betraying him.  
  
"What happened to Sanosuke?"  
  
Something must have happened, judging from the look in her eyes and the direction of her eyes, downcast the floor. He voice cracked as she tried to speak. "I... I really do-don't know how much longer they can continue this... They said... they said..." She stopped for a moment to regain her bearings and attempt to finish he sentence.   
  
"They said that they would keep him alive for you... because you were a key figure and without him the-they had no control over you... But it's just impossible! They're trailing him a-along on this thin strand of life, practically killing him to get information t-that he doesn't have!" Her voice was raised in anger and her fists fell onto the table, her face hiding in the comfort of her crossed arms as she choked out a sigh.   
  
"I-I can't do an-anything! And as we're ge-getting closer to, whate-e-ever it is we're going to, he's getting weaker! They won't even let a doctor help him! When he bleeds, they just laugh! The only thing keeping him alive is his will power and the torn clothes he had been wearing for months, and those are soaked in blood! Please hurry! I beg of you! Help him! I can't stand watching this happen!! You have to do something!!"  
  
Her words echoed in his head ten fold before fading into the depths of his imagination, where the words continued to fuel his hate for the men even further. He turned his eyes back onto the live connection between the two ships and he asked one small questions.  
  
"How far away are you?"  
  
--------------------------------------  
  
Saitou pushed the small ship mentally. Even though its speed was nearing that of light, which could be disastrous if reached, nothing was fast enough. He had to hurry, he had to get to the colony before they could finish Sano off.   
  
_ Saitou stood in front of the classroom. He always hated this part of his job, the teaching part. He was trying to teach how to maneuver a A46-99 space-jet when a certain rooster-headed boy started talking animatedly to another student. Glaring at him, Saitou spoke loudly, "What, Mr. Sanosuke, is the difference between a A46-99 and a B46-99 space jet?"  
  
Without hesitation, Sanosuke replied, "The first one's got an 'A' in it." He smirked as the students surrounding him burst out laughing.   
  
"Detention, Sagara, tomorrow."  
  
Sano raised his eyebrows seductively. "I'll see ya there." More laughs. More glares from the teacher. _  
  
He had been so annoying, so disruptive, so... self-centered. How had things changed so much? How come he was hurtling through space at supersonic speeds just to be able to see him again, just to protect him?   
  
Protect him... since when had he become so possessive about the young rooster? When he started throwing himself utterly and completely vulnerable at Hajime Saitou's feet? Was that it? Or was it when he realized that someone else was getting Sanosuke attention, like that unsuspecting victim by the name of Kaoru Kamiya? Or, being incredibly stubborn, was it when he realized just what he had lost when the young man had been taken into custody?   
  
That day he found the young man wandering around in the restricted area wasn't the first time. Sanosuke always had an uncanny knack for getting into trouble and going against all colony orders. There was one such day when the colony specified that no one touches their CPU for one hour because the network was going through some major remodeling, and what did that young man do? He decided to hop into everyone of his friends rooms and turn their computer on because he had an 'unfathomable urge for a good game of solitaire.'   
  
The urge than continued from room to room for countless hours, until the computer technicians began to wonder why the system wasn't operating the way they had planned. Not only did he get thoroughly chewed out by the authorities, his friends' CPU were rendered inoperable until those computer technicians came back to the colony. In another two months.  
  
But that was far from the best little scandal he pulled. The most memorable was a prank that he pulled on Seijirou Hiko. One of the highest officers on the entire colony that just happened to have a top-secret relationship with Sanosuke's room mate.  
  
It had been a long, tiring week for the colony as a whole after some internal issues and not being able to make ends with the exporting demands to the partners in trade, and it just happened to be Kenshin Himura's birthday. Sanosuke had wanted the group to "kick back and relax" and before they had the little surprise of the redhead, Sanosuke decided to give Hiko a little bit more than his fill in sake, shots, and Bloody Mary's. No one knew how he had gotten the man so drunk, but as the time drew nearer to the surprise party, Sanosuke had grabbed a camera for the memories.  
  
The memories turned out to be more than a quarter trillion dollars worth of blackmail. Black mail that included full grown men in playboy bunny outfits, Hiko jumping out of a cake and a rather large mess to clean up the next morning after everyone had "kicked back and relaxed."  
  
Looking back on that Saitou smiled to himself. At the time he had thought it stupid and juvenile, but now he found it cute and clever. His memories only served to upset him more, as he imagined Sano broken and alone. He had to get him, whatever it would take.  
__________________________  
  
I sat in the corner of my cell. It was cold again. Maybe I would be spared today. No one had come in to see me yet, which I took as a good sign. My backside hurts like hell. Maybe she had decided that I had had enough and decided not to have them come to me everyday. But that was wishful thinking. Kaoru was the ultimate kind of psycho, the criminally insane that stops at nothing. It was really quite scary to know that she was perusing me...  
  
A bulky looking guy walking into the room interrupted my thoughts. I instantly knew what was coming. They had even upgraded, I thought sarcastically, looking at the size of this guy's biceps. Instead of pro-wrestler, now it was sumo wrestler.   
  
The guy walked in, unlocked the cell and jerked his head outwards. That was strange. Normally we just took care of it in here. But instead of having his way with me, he told me harshly, "The lady wants to see you."  
  
Assuming he meant Kaoru, I braced myself for the worst and tried desperately to get my tattered clothes to cover as much skin as possible. Sure enough, it was Kaoru waiting for me in her father's office.  
  
She smiled at me sweetly. Definitely insane. Then she grabbed my hand and started leading me to her room, saying excitedly, "I got to talk to you! We have some matters to discuss!"  
  
I didn't say anything, but let her drag me like a little puppy dog. When we finally got to her bedroom, she sat on the bed with her legs crossed, looking like some teenager anxiously waiting to share the latest bit of gossip.   
  
She showed me that sadistic smirk one last time before I sunk to my knees on the floor, my legs giving out. She wrapped a piece of navy soaked raven hair around her finger and giggled out loud. "Guess who I just talked to?"  
  
"Who?" I growled lowly. Everything hurt so bad and I wasn't in the mood for this fucking guessing games.   
  
"Hajime Saitou. But you know what the funniest part is?"  
  
Saitou!? My mind cleaned up, my eyes shooting to her. "What did he say?" I said groggily, trying not to sound too anxious.  
  
"Oh, if you really want the information, you're going to have to do some begging, my pet. And since you have so much practice with all those other -men- that showed up in your cell, I thought you might have some fun with -me-." Her grin turned feral again. Goddamnit, was I really going to have to indulge her nympho fanatics just to get some information about Saitou?! The thing that made me sick the most was the fact that I was about to do anything to make sure he was all right... and coming for me.  
  
"Just tell me what he said, please." I stated, more than begged. Yeah, I could be beaten and battered, but I was never gonna be knocked into submission. She sat up and then knelt down by my side. I didn't realize that I was shaking until she rested her hand upon my shoulder and began to vibrate slightly from the touch.   
  
"How much do you want that information, puppy?" She asked, drawing her other hand to my bruising jaw and pinched the ripped skin. I bit my already injured tongue to keep from yelping at the touch.  
  
"Well? Are you going to answer me?"   
  
"I'd rather not."  
  
"Don't think that's going to work this time! I gave you a couple weeks to think about it. Either you do what I tell you to, or you get another month of guys, and maybe I'll make it twice a day, just to get you to obey me. So just give in now. Do what I tell you, and I'd be more than happy to tell you about Mr. Saitou!"  
  
I sighed. I would much rather spend one night with her than have the visits multiply, but it was at the point where I didn't want to give in for sheer stubbornness and to show her that I wasn't some-- puppy. "I'd much rather be with those guys than you!"  
  
"Sano, Sano, Sano my love. You can't lie to me! Not once did you enjoy my friends, and I know that for a fact! With me, on the other hand, you were beginning to become quite aroused, and you can't say that for those men."  
  
I didn't know how to reply. Knowing it would have absolutely no effect, I firmly stated, "What did Jime say? Let me talk to him."  
  
"Let you talk to him? Now why would I do something like that? It would take all the fun out of this situation. No, I think I'll stick to the original plan."  
  
"The original plan? What was that, Kaoru? How come I wasn't informed?"  
  
"The original plan is not for you to know. At least not for now."  
  
"If I'm part of the plan I think I should be informed SOMEHOW."   
  
A playful smile played over her lips and she leaned down onto me, knocked me backwards onto the floor. "If you have fun now and play, I'll inform you later. Promise, darling."  
  
"Stop it, Kaoru! I want to talk to Jime!"  
  
"Hmm, you really are obsessed aren't you? It's OK I can make you forget all about him." She whispered against the shell of my head, causing my body to shutter violently.  
  
"You see the truth is," Her voice changed to a saddened one, "Saitou doesn't want you. Why do you think he's not coming for you? Sanosuke, I love you. He thinks you as nothing more than a pain in his side... a pain that he thanked me to get rid of. But Sanosuke, darling, I can make all that pain go away, and I can show you real love."  
  
"Get away from me, you psychotic bitch." I growled and summoned enough strength to push her up off of me, slamming into the wall nicely put next to the both of us. I have to admit that I would never hit a girl, but that trickle of blood trailing down her cheek didn't make me feel one bit of resentment.  
  
"San...o...suke..." She blinked and then drew her fingers to the warm liquid.   
  
She pulled them away after taking a swipe and fondly looked at the blood coaxing her fingers. A grin appeared on her face. "My beloved Sanosuke. Maybe taking it up the ass so many times made you a little feisty." She waltzed over to me. I couldn't move.  
  
"Oh, baby, it looks as if I'm going to have to humble you a little more if you really think you can overthrow me."   
  
She walked over to her dresser and busied herself looking for something. At last she found it and happily pulled out her handcuffs. I didn't resist when she walked over to me and pushed me on to the bed, but when she started to take of my pants, I got a little bit worried. I pushed her away, and she began to pout.  
  
"Why won't you let me undress you? You know we could have so much fun. Handcuffs are the best to play with!"  
  
"Stay away from me!" I shouted, genuinely terrified. Not only did I not want her touching me, I couldn't get what she had said out about Saitou out of my mind. What if she was telling the truth? What if he didn't want me any more?  
  
"Sa-no! Just give up! You've lost! You got caught, and this is your punishment! You should be happy! This is a great punishment, getting to be with me. I just wish you would enjoy it, for your sake!"  
  
I didn't reply.  
  
"You know, if you would start listening to me I could use my influence to get better conditions for you! I could get you nice clothes, and let you go out at night, and maybe you could stay in my room…"  
  
But she was obviously getting impatient and decided not to finish her thought. Instead she continued taking off my clothes and I decided not to resist. What could I do? This girl was dead-set on having me, and I really wanted the daily visits to stop. Some of the conditions she proposed, I have to admit, tempted me sorely.   
  
I couldn't bring myself to move against her touch, nor could I bring myself to touch -her-. If I just sat there, she could have her way and I could get the information out in the end. So as I lay there immobile. I began to think about the recent conversation, instead of registering the touches and the responses my body was giving -to- those touches. She couldn't have been right about Saitou...  
  
But it hurt so damn much to think about...  
  
----------  
  
As he sat down to yet another quiet dinner by himself he could help but think about how very becoming brooding was. And the answer to that was not very. He spent next to an hour examining every detail of his food, not even bothering to note the fact that it was cold. He was already too caught up in thought. The only thing that snapped him out of his thought was a beeping asking for permission to start a visual communication connection in real-time.  
  
Saitou held his breath, hoping for good news from Kaoru, but expecting the worst.  
  
"Saitou-san?" The girl said as a calm introduction.   
  
"Kaoru-san."  
  
"Umm... Sanosuke decided that he doesn't really... want you to come rescue him."  
  
"Excuse me?" Saitou asked, narrowing his eyes in question and blinking a few -more- times.  
  
"Its just… well, I didn't want to tell you, but he told me too… he said it would be for the better if you knew… Sanosuke and I have been together for the last month. I'm… I'm just really sorry you had to find out this way… Sano-- Sano told me that he didn't want you to come, simply because he's just not interested in you any more. God! I can't do this!" She began to cry, but Saitou felt no urge to comfort her. He was too torn between disbelief, and anger. What was going on?  
  
"Let me talk to him," Saitou said after a long pause while she wept.  
  
"He…" She continued, sobbing, "He said that he didn't want to talk to you and make things harder! Don't come, please. It'll only get you both killed! Just stay away, he needs to be here with me."  
  
Without another word, he cut the communication. Right now he had to be alone to analyze what he had been told. Why would Sano change his mind like that? Was Kaoru lying? He seriously doubted that. She had proved trustworthy, if not always intelligent, up to this point. But still… the thought of Sano not wanting him anymore… it was just too much…  
__________________________  
  
I lay on the bed, for the first time in months actually warm. My night with Kaoru hadn't been fun, but at least now I had a nice bed, free roam of the Unrestricted Commander's Halls, and really nice meals. I also wasn't being raped by the men anymore-- Kaoru had decided she wanted me all to herself, I guess.   
  
At the moment she was off eating; even though I wasn't locked up anymore, they still couldn't let me go out and eat with civilians. I had my plate in front of me, but wasn't particularly hungry, so I decided to "explore" her room.   
  
First I looked in her dresser drawers. Nothing interesting there, except the handcuffs that I was already well acquainted with. There was nothing in her closet except a bunch of clothes. Surprisingly there wasn't anything in the whole room to show how crazy she was, except, that is, the handcuffs. I was about to get back into bed where she had told me to stay when the computer at the other side of the large room caught my eye.  
  
A computer.   
  
I hopped onto the chair in front of it like there was no tomorrow. If this computer was hooked up to the cross-colony network, then that meant communication with the rest of the universe. Communication with Saitou...  
  
I had never really been tactful, and even if I was sick to my stomach with worry about Saitou hating me that much, I had to hear it from his lips. And this may be a way of doing it... I clicked onto the mainframe network and checked for the necessary equipment. Cable hook up.   
  
Check.  
  
Audio-visual communication.  
  
Check.  
  
Power.  
  
Check  
  
OK, good! Now if I remembered right, Saitou's ship was...  
  
I quickly typed in his ship number and offered up to him a communication request. I crossed my fingers as I waited for him to accept or decline. If he was even there. With my luck he might have been taking a shower. "Come on, Saitou. Come on... accept it!" I hissed to the computer that still read across the screen:  
  
**Waiting for other party to deny or accept communication request.**  
  
Come on! Accept it!  
  
I kept chanting those words over and over again, looking at the screen, waiting for him to answer. Accept it! Please!  
  
After I sent the message through a few more times, the request was finally accepted. The screen quickly turned into the comm. link and a man with a slightly angry look on his face answered. It was Saitou...  
  
But the expression on his face quickly melted from one of anger to shock, as he looked at me. His eyes scanned along the bruises, scratches and scars I had from this little stay. His voice was uncertain, like I wasn't there, "Sanosuke?"  
  
"Jime! Thank god you answered! You had me so fucking worried! And I thought that... well, that you hated me." I said, unsure into the comm.  
  
"What are you talking about? I thought that--" Saitou stopped as a look of realization . Kaoru must have told him a lie... if she told them both something different...  
  
"What did Kaoru tell you?"  
  
"That you weren't coming. What the hell did she tell you!?"  
  
We figured out just what happened in a matter of fifteen minutes... everything made perfect sense... I looked to the floor, and then back to the computer.  
  
"Goddamnit, Jime! Hurry up! I don't know how long I can stay here without going fucking insane!" I shouted, running a hand absently along the edge of the screen, briefly touching Saitou's face. The man on the other end nodded. My face softened. "How long has it been, Jime?"  
  
"Honestly," Saitou started, speaking carefully into the screen, "too long, for my tastes."  
  
"I give that one a fucking amen!"  
  
There was a lull after that comment, and he scanned his eyes along my battered body. He came to one conclusion and one course of action. "Sanosuke, where are you now?"  
  
"Kaoru's chambers, why?"  
  
"Could you look through her computers files and find me a map of the ship?"  
  
I blinked, but nodded, keeping the comm. open, even if I had to resize it a little bit to go through the ship's files. I flipped through the cross-colony network quickly, trying to find a picture map of the gigantic ship.   
  
"OK, found some, I'm bringing it up on the screen now."  
  
Saitou smirked as he looked over the map. "What section are you in?"  
  
"D203."  
  
"Wait in there and I'll come for you at 9:46 tomorrow."  
  
"Really, Jime?!"  
  
"I've left you there for too long, it's time to get you back."   
  
I had to resist the ridiculous smirk tugging at my lips.  
  
"You should go before she gets back."  
  
"I will, and Jime?"  
  
There was a pause, he looking me over.  
  
"Thanks."   
  
The comm. screen darkened and then fell totally black.   
  
I grinned, leaning back into the blackness, looking around the shadowed room. I froze as I heard a sound coming from my rear.  
  
"Sanosuke? What were you doing?"  
  
--------  
  
End of part seven 


	8. Part Eight

Notes: Damn... this is getting long... and we're not even 1/3 finished!!   
  
Warnings: Sano/Saitou, AU, Kaoru/Sano, angst  
  
  
Reperio ac Diruo Terra Operation  
  
By: Emmy and Anji  
  
**Part Eight**  
  
-------------  
  
I jumped, "K-K-Kaoru! I-I was just... um..."   
  
Think of something, idiot!  
  
"You know, playing around." I finished, regaining my composure.  
  
She eyed me suspiciously. "And you were talking to yourself in here?"  
  
I smiled weakly, figuring that it was better to make myself look stupid than deny it. However, she wasn't buying the act.  
  
"Sanosuke! Was it Saitou-san? Don't lie to me," her voice lowered dangerously. "I have my ways of finding out." She bent over to me and stared into my eyes annoyingly close. I stared blankly. What was I supposed to say? I couldn't admit it, but I couldn't deny it. They had records of these things!  
  
She seemed to take that as a "yes" because she stood back up and started to whine.  
  
"After all that I've done for you, you go and betray me like that! They would have killed you! If I hadn't generously agreed to take you from that dungeon you would still be rotting down there!" She worked up tears in her eyes.   
  
I couldn't tell if they were fake.  
  
But even so, she continued on, "Sanosuke! I love you! I don't know how you can just look over that kindness I showed you as if it was nothing!"  
  
Fine. I would counter her acting with some of my own. I shook my head and hunched over, still sitting at the computer chair, burying my hands in my face. "I'm sorry... Kaoru... I'm sorry! I just don't want to talk about it.... Jime... he... he told me that--"  
  
I looked up at her, trying my very hardest to look upset and devastated, "He told me that he wasn't coming--! Told me that I was too much of a burden..."  
  
"He told me that I wasn't worth it..." I stopped abruptly and had to tell myself not to smirk over that look of pure shock over her face. "You have to understand... I had to find out for myself..."  
  
"Sanosuke..." She said, out of words to say. She was probably thinking that her plan was working to magnificent heights. She stepped closer to me and embraced me. It felt so wrong, but even if it did... this was the only way to get things to go right. I let her hold me, and forced my body to shake from the 'shock' Saitou's words had given to me. Ha! Take that Kaoru! I guess I fooled the queen of acting.  
  
"Sanosuke... what do you say for me taking you out for a nice meal?" She offered, trying to show me just how there for me she really was.  
  
Free food, huh? I was game...  
  
----------------  
  
Saitou's eyes traced the contours of the map, watching every little detail and memorizing it. There were four labeled guard stations that Sanosuke had been kind enough (or lucky enough) to pull up, along with the nightly guard routes. This would help him greatly.  
  
Plotting out the time it would take him to arrive there, he determined that entering from gate B2 would the easiest. He could slip in with his patrol ship when the gates opened for waste excretion, the ship small enough to go undetected. Either that or he could use the age old excuse of needing to refuel. But even so, he could dock against the ship without worries, the guards wouldn't come around that way until an hour after he anchored.  
  
But this time, although stealth was a big thing, he was going to need to pack some heavy artillery.   
  
This may be a fight for his life.  
  
A rescuing mission this was, but rescuing in enemy territory like this would be deadly.  
  
After getting past the first barrier, he would proceed down hall B73 and then into corridor 18. From there, although he didn't doubt he would need to breech a password, he would go down seven doors and swing around the corner into section D4. After a little bit more walking, he would be within yards of Kaoru's room.  
  
And that was where Sanosuke was.  
  
He was waiting...  
  
Saitou tapped the pencil impatiently along the table, after sketching out his course. This would be difficult... but he had to do it.  
  
For Sanosuke.  
  
The kid had suffered too much because of him. There was nothing he could do to make up for it, either. But as soon as he came back, Saitou would try.  
  
But what was going to happen after Earth was destroyed for good?  
  
Either they died or they went home to some colony in the galaxy that had never heard of the names Hajime Saitou and Sanosuke Sagara.  
  
And personally, he was hoping for the second choice...   
  
Now the plans were set and ready. But the waiting was driving Hajime Saitou mad. The things that could happen in a day were too much to think about. What had they done to Sanosuke in a day before? During those days of torture that turned into months? How long had he been withstanding that torture? All because Saitou hadn't wanted to think a little out of the box to get the boy back. Saitou was resourceful, he should have done something to help the boy. He had so much to make up to him and no where to start.  
  
--------------------  
  
"Uh.." I drew out, looking over the digital menu shining up into a box in front of my eyes. Damn, I hadn't had a meal in forever! This -was- coming out of Kaoru's pocket, so there was no real reason to hold back... I grinned as the woman came over to take our order.   
  
"Are you ready to order?" she asked in an annoyingly perky voice that strongly reminded me of Kaoru. I smiled.  
  
"The fresh sashimi, oysters on the half shell garnished with lemon wedges," I began, scanning the menu. I didn't understand any of the names, it was all in some weird language, but I picked all the stuff with nice pictures or that looked really expensive. "Also the marinated portabella mushrooms, and a glass of 3995 Shiraz, Haloumi cheese and quince paste, and then a platter of scones and tangelo segments, for desert. I'm not really that hungry." I pretended not to notice the two women staring at me with wide eyes and dropped jaws.  
  
Snapping out of it, the waitress turned to Kaoru who stared for another moment before saying weakly, "Um... I'll have a green salad."   
  
The waitress quickly dismissed herself after filling a page of her paper pad full. It was an older restaurant, geared towards the late 2070's. She was using paper. That was something I hadn't seen in a fucking long time. About three minutes later the waitress brought the food back. Yeah, slow service too. And there wasn't an excuse, it was only half-full! Kaoru looked at the food spread out in front of me and giggled nervously, "I didn't think that they starved you like this..."  
  
"You better believe it! I'm making up for all that lost weight right now!"  
  
"Looks like it..." Kaoru commented snidely, lifting a piece of broccoli to her mouth. She popped it in and chewed, pulling out an agendas. I raised an eyebrow.   
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
"Looking over my schedule for tomorrow. Tomorrow night we're going out to the club again, I know you want to dance again."  
  
I shook my head quickly, "I couldn't dance! I'm too fucking injured to do the macarana!"  
  
"The what?" She inquired with a dumbfounded look on her face.  
  
"Ehh, joke we had back on my old colony..." I trailed off. I had to think of some reason to stay home! Saitou was coming! My only fucking chance to get back!  
  
Thinking quickly I said the first thing to come to mind. "We can go this weekend. I should be feeling better by then."  
  
"No! Let's go tomorrow. You're not that injured!"  
  
"I really... I really don't think that I can. In fact, I'm not hungry anymore. I can't eat this. Why don't we just go back to your room."  
  
She blinked. She wanted to protest, I knew that she was going to have to pay for it all now that it had been ordered, that had been my intent all along. There was no fucking way I was going to be able to eat all of it, but I supposed Kaoru liked too much being on good terms with me to protest.  
  
I knew the way back better than that I would have thought. The only thing that I could concentrate on while we were walking was where we were going. I didn't want to talk to Kaoru, not after everything that had happened. I thought that I might spill something, I wasn't going to leak that when it was my last chance.  
  
In a matter of no time we were back at Kaoru's quarters and I was ushered in. I sighed and looked around with a sigh.  
  
"Sanosuke, let's go to bed, OK?" Kaoru asked, extending her hand.  
  
I nodded and took it, allowing her to lead me to bed. I was going to be out of this hell hole soon enough.  
  
That's the only thing that kept me going.  
  
We laid down and I didn't bother taking my clothes off. She did, slipping into a slinky little pink nighty, and crawled next to me, climbing onto my chest and silently falling into the depths of sleep.  
  
Good. She didn't try anything. At least Saitou was coming tomorrow. Then everything would be fine.  
  
----------  
  
I tried to go to sleep, really I did, but the mechanics of the ship kept me awake. I stood up, pushing Kaoru off of my body without a hitch. I didn't know what I could do, but I had to do something. Get a drink and piss was two of them...  
  
I found the toilet easily enough, but when I tried to get a drink I led myself right back into the room where the computer was laying as well. It was so tempting, just to see Saitou again... but I didn't really want to risk anything. I walked over towards the computer and shook my head. No, Sanosuke, bad idea... I had to keep reminding myself... but I really wanted to see him again...  
  
I walked over to the water container, grabbing a quick glass and downing it.   
  
I stared at the computer again.  
  
BEEP, BEEP, BEEP  
  
ACCEPT COMMUNICATION REQUEST?  
*- YES -*- NO -*   
  
I fell backwards as the computer barked a few beeps and then shook my head. Fucking computer! That scared the shit outta me!  
  
I gulped, this was going to be for Kaoru. I walked back into her room and pushed on her lightly. I knew that Saitou wouldn't be stupid enough to send a transmission, so it had to be for Kaoru.   
  
Kaoru was a deep sleeper. It took me a couple minutes to get her up, and by the time she got into the communication room I was sure the communication request would have been canceled leaving me with a very pissed 19 year old teenager wondering why I had disrupted her beauty sleep. The screen was still flashing, though, when she entered, and she quickly ran over to accept.  
  
The face of Commander Suzuki startled me and caused me to slowly try to back out of his view. Luckily enough, he didn't seem to notice me-- or at least he didn't care. Anyway, he had apparently more important things on his mind than who his daughter was sleeping with, I guess.   
  
"That took you long, Princess." I had to bite down on my tongue to keep from laughing. Still not noticing my presence, even though I had made a loud snorting noise, he continued. "I hope I didn't wake you. I just figured you wouldn't be in bed this early."  
  
Putting on a sweet smile, she yawned and then replied, "That's okay, Daddy. What do you need?"  
  
"I have a special mission for you." She drew herself up importantly and smiled even wider. "I'm bringing a new commander to the ship, along with his apprentice. When they get here I want you to show them around."  
  
She flashed her teeth and answered in a chirppy voice, "I'd love to!"  
  
"Great! And I'm SURE this time that they aren't run away convicts!" He glanced in my direction, for the first time acknowledging my presence. It made me really uncomfortable.  
  
After saying their good byes in an annoyingly sweet way that made me want to loose the little dinner I'd had, she turned to me and proudly stated, "Daddy always gets me to do the important missions."  
  
I wanted to say something snide about showing two people around the ship being "important" but I held it back. I only had to put up with her for one more day-- the last thing that I wanted to do was piss her off and get thrown back in the dungeon.  
  
She looked back to me after the transmission was ended and smiled. "Well, I'm up now and I'm not that tired, would you like to do something, Sanosuke?"  
  
"I'm tired, really, can we go to bed, please?"  
  
Kaoru's gaze brushed along the house and she sighed. "Well, I think I'm going to go to sleep, but you owe me for that meal that you didn't pay me back for."  
  
I nearly face-vaulted. "Excuse me!?"  
  
"I really need this quarters cleaned, so do that. Once your done you can go to sleep." She commanded and I shook me head.  
  
"Housework is not my job! What about your maid!?"  
  
"She won't come until tomorrow and I don't want to fall asleep in a dirty room." She stated, looking around with a sigh. Silently, she walked back to her room and waved a quickly, "Goodnight."  
  
I looked around the house, unbelieving to what she said. "No fucking way..." I muttered to myself. I wasn't going to clean! The next thing she was going to make me do was fucking cook! Even though she had personalized chefs, she might as well have me cook! Sadistic bitch.  
  
I groaned and looked around, picking up pillows and blankets, folding them onto the couches and hanging them over the back. I groaned, I was too fucking tired. I wasn't going to go to sleep with her tonight, I was just going to get to sleep on the coach as soon as I had this done! But what exactly did she want me to do? I wasn't gonna scrub the toilets or anything! I shrugged and headed on over into the kitchen. I was hungry and there was going to be food there anyway since I HAD skipped supper.  
  
I looked around in the kitchen space, and then to the fridge for some food. Damn, all she had was health junk. Chicks were pretty damned vain.  
  
Oh well. At least some of the shit tasted like FOOD. Even if that was a vast little. It was still some.  
  
Some that became none when I quickly devoured that food.   
  
I chuckled and said, "screw cleaning," heading for a nap on the coach. It was late and I could barely keep my eyes open any longer.  
  
------------------------------------  
  
Kaoru woke me up early the next morning. It looked like the cleaning lady had been in, and the place really looked nice. That saved me, as Kaoru didn't need to know I hadn't done what she'd said to. And Saitou was coming! The last thing I needed, once again, was getting thrown into the dungeon and cause Saitou more trouble than I was worth.  
  
It seemed, though, that everything would go just as planned. He was going to be in Kaoru's chambers at 9:46 that night and hopefully Kaoru would be there so he could give her a shot in the head. That'd show her to keep me up cleaning, the bitch.  
  
I didn't even object when she made me make her bed.   
  
In a couple of hours I'd be getting my revenge.  
  
Yeah, in just a couple of hours... but so much could go wrong in a couple of hours....  
  
Kaoru had to meet with the new officers joining us, and I was going to be dragged along. What fun.  
  
I could put up with a little more torture, but this was going to suck. Politics and shit, nothing but a snore-fest. To me at least... Saitou seemed like the kinda guy that might dig those little meetings...  
  
At the thought of Saitou, I felt myself slipping into dream mode.  
  
After what we've been through, I would imagine that he was feeling pretty damn bad somewhere deep, deep, deep, deep.. OK, maybe he wasn't sympathizing with me... but oh well. I could think that deep down he was sorry for leaving me. In that same place, deep, deep down I knew that he loved me too. Just a sixth sense.  
  
A sixth sense backed by all those lovely little dreams that Saitou had out loud that I just happened to be conscious for.  
  
Damn, I missed him.  
  
"Sanosuke! We're leading!" Kaoru announced, running up to me and fixing my collar. I was dressed in one of those little uniform cadet outfits that all the crew were wearing. She was wear a commander uniform.   
  
Undoubtedly a position granted by daddy-dearest.  
  
I had never seen her command anything... but me... and even then, she did a sucky job at it! I could just imagine what would happen if she were given troops of any kind.  
  
Nothing but bad stuff would happen...  
  
We walked out into the hall and I followed obediently down hall after hall, until we finally arrived in corridor 39, and then into section B-2, room 12.  
  
There was already someone sitting on a chair in the room. Two somebody's-- a small redheaded somebody and an older and larger somebody. Kenshin and Hiko were waiting for us.   
  
------------  
  
End of part eight 


	9. Part Nine

Notes: Ehh... sorry about this one being so short! In the next one, I can promise a lot of action! Get ready! ^___^  
  
Warnings: AU, Sano/Saitou, Sano/Kaoru (significantly residing) Kaoru/Kenshin (new boy-toy) Hiko/Kenshin (hints, nothing big at all)  
  
Reperio ac Diruo Terra Operation  
  
By: Emmy and Anji  
  
**Part Nine**  
  
-------------  
  
I froze as I saw the two rise from their seats to greet us. Kenshin's eyes widened as he looked at me, jaw dropping.   
  
"Kenshin!? What are you doing here!?" I bit off, and he glanced in-between myself and Hiko many times.  
  
"Sano, what are YOU doing here!?"  
  
"What the hell do you think, I'm a fucking captive!"  
  
"Then why are you out in the open!?" Kenshin spat back and Kaoru placed a hand on our shoulders.  
  
"I take it that you two have met?" She asked innocently.  
  
We nodded, and that was about the time Hiko spoke up. "I should have known that you would get caught so easily. But if you were caught... where is Saitou? And why ARE you out in the open?"  
  
"Jime's still out there... Kaoru decided to tortu-- help me by taking me in." I lied quickly, receiving a dirty look from the psycho.  
  
Hiko and Kenshin exchanged looks, repeating amongst themselves, "'Jime?'"  
  
"I hate to break this up," Kaoru interrupted, "But I have to fulfill my duties as commander. I need to show the recruits a tour of the ship. By the way, my name is commander Kaoru Kamiya. I take it you," she nodded to Hiko, "Are Seijirou Hiko. And this," She gave a very flirty look to Kenshin, "Is Kenshin Himura."  
  
I wanted to loose the little food I'd had the previous night. What a slut! Kenshin smiled back politely, but I could see Hiko was practically retching from behind her back.  
  
Kaoru grabbed Kenshin's hand and pulled him out into the corridor. Hiko and I followed. She gave them the same tour I had remembered been given so many months ago... Or at least it seemed that way...  
  
She treated Kenshin the same way she had treated me, and Hiko the same way she had treated Saitou. Maybe in a couple of weeks Kenshin would be her new sex toy -- I would have been long gone by then.  
  
Finally, after she had showed them all the main areas, she headed for the sleeping chambers. "Sano, I'll take Kenshin to his room. Would you be a sweetheart and take Hiko to his? It's B202."   
  
I would have liked to say no, but thoughts of Saitou filled my head, so I refrained. It didn't matter anyway, though, because she didn't wait for an answer. Instead she smiled widely and said, "Thanks!" Before walking bouncily away. I heard Kaoru telling Kenshin that, "Sano's great, really the big brother type, you know?"  
  
I wanted to laugh. Last time I checked brothers and sisters didn't do the types of things she had been doing to me every night. But that was OK -- anything to get her to leave me alone.  
  
After watching their backs until their turned the corner, I looked to Hiko.  
  
"So how have you been these past few months?" I asked as he led the way to the B hallway. I knew that Hiko was miffed at the display that Kaoru had been putting on; it would have been better for me to start some kind of pleasant conversation.   
  
"We've been trying to find you. The media thinks that you're still out there, it took more than what you'd imagine. The only way we were actually able to find you was when we heard a transmission between Hiradake and Kamiya. We told Commander Aoshi and he agreed to send us over to retrieve you after making an alliance with Hiradake." Hiko finished as we entered his room.  
  
"No fucking way..." I trailed off. Aoshi gave into Hiradake!? What was he thinking!?   
  
"So... why did you come here...?" I asked hesitantly.  
  
Hiko glared, "Since you were captured we thought that you may need a rescuer."  
  
"Ha! You two my knight on a white horse!?" I demanded, laughing my ass off.  
  
"Shut up. Who else would come to rescue you!?" He demanded right back. "Saitou obviously abandon you!"  
  
"Don't talk about Jime like that! Right now you should be worried about Kenshin and the chick he's with!" I snapped quickly.  
  
"Yeah... I noticed..."  
  
"You might want to go check out what's happening." I advised and Hiko frowned.  
  
"What room are they in?"  
  
"They probably took a detour to Kaoru's room." I said with a smirk. They had gotten there, whether it was willing or not. She had led him there...  
  
"Come on, I'll show you. I've spent enough time there to find it in my sleep."  
  
"So what have you been doing all this time?"  
  
"Eating, sleeping, getting raped by Kaoru, getting raped by every single soldier on this ship... you know, the usual."  
  
Hiko didn't reply, but his pace quickened the slightest bit. I could tell that he was getting more and more worried about what was happening to Kenshin.  
  
I knew Kenshin wouldn't give in, but I figured we needed to hurry before she framed Hiko and Kenshin and got Battousai for a "birthday present."  
  
She would twist everything around again and get Kenshin from her daddy. But then she was going to take the wrath of Hiko, tacked onto the already arriving wrath of Saitou... and he was going to be here soon.  
  
Tonight.... I hoped that Hiko wasn't going to do something that would get me in trouble, I needed to be in Kaoru's room tonight!  
  
... but what if Kaoru got her way with Kenshin...?  
  
Was I going to go back in the dungeon? What could I do then?  
  
Finally, we arrived in Kaoru's room. Hiko didn't bother to knock, and the door was surprisingly open.  
  
I almost laughed. It was a good thing that I didn't because it would have drawn attention and Hiko and I would have missed a great show. A great show for me -- I'm not sure Hiko was enjoying it very much. In the time that he stood dumbfounded staring in the room, we saw Kaoru give a very stiff and downright terrified looking Kenshin a back rub that gradually became lower. Until she reached under his seat and threw him up with her immense force I had became very familiar with. With a loud, "Oroooooo!?!?!" Kaoru had Kenshin on his back.  
  
"Kaoru-dono!" Kenshin yelled, but Kaoru mistook it as groan of pleasure.  
  
"Kenshin!" She yelled back. That seemed to snap Hiko out of his trance.  
  
"What is going on in here!?" Hiko roared, and Kaoru fell onto the floor, Kenshin looking up wide-eyed.  
  
"Hiko-san?!"  
  
"Shishou!?"  
  
"Well!? I do believe I asked a question." Hiko's voice was low, and his eyes were flashing a bit of gold.  
  
'Shishou..." was all Kenshin could get out. I'm sure he was as surprised as I had been. Of course, he didn't know what was going on, just as I hadn't.  
  
"It's OK, Hiko." I placed a hand on the man's shoulder.  
  
"This is a big misunderstanding!"  
  
"It is, Kaoru-san. Get away from him."  
  
"I... I..." Kenshin shuttered, looking very confused.  
  
"Got yourself a new boy toy, Kaoru?" I asked with a smirk. She glared.  
  
"Let's go, Kenshin." The redhead stood up, making Kaoru roll over.  
  
I watched Kaoru hopefully as the two men started to leave. "I'll just go then--" I began, pointing to the door way but she interrupted.  
  
"You'll stay right there! I'm not done with you!"  
  
Damn, why couldn't she have kept Kenshin and allowed me to leave? I guess I couldn't blame her, exactly. I mean who would want someone else when they had Sanosuke Sagara? But a guy can hope.  
  
After Hiko and Kenshin were safely outside, Kaoru shut the door tightly before turning to me abruptly and saying, "We need to kill Hiko."  
  
"What--?" Whatever I had been expecting, it definitely wasn't that.  
  
"I know," she said distinctively, "you guys used to be friends of something." The demonic glint returned to her eyes. "But think about it: if we kill Hiko, Kenshin will have to join us!"  
  
Join us? What was she talking about?  
  
"Us? We?"   
  
"OK, so let me get this straight." I replied, "You want to kill Hiko so you can have Kenshin. Right?" She nodded hungrily. "But what do I want with Kenshin?"  
  
"Sanosuke! You want Kenshin because you want me to be happy, and having Kenshin will make me happy!"  
  
"Damn, that's some fucked up logic, Kaoru..." I stated, trailing off.  
  
Yeah, kill Hiko? Like that one was going to happen. I could probably do it if I tried really, really hard and killed myself in the process, but I could... uhh... maybe I really couldn't...  
  
Oh well. Done with the detail thing now.  
  
"Oh yeah, let's kill him tomorrow and just hang here plotting tonight, order some room service, sound good?" I suggested helpfully with a smile glued on my face.  
  
Damn, all this so she could get Kenshin. And here I was expecting some kind of threesome. Oh well. Whatever happens, happens.  
  
I could plan for tomorrow as much as I wanted, I wasn't going to be here tomorrow.  
  
I would be long gone with Saitou...  
  
----------------  
  
Saitou's eyes scanned over the clock. It was just about time to put his plan into motion. He sighed, his course for the ship was set. Now all he had to do was wait a little longer...  
  
He felt terrible about being so incompetent. He had to make up for it... and he had a way.  
  
Kaoru Kamiya's death was scheduled for tonight right after Sanosuke retrieval.  
  
This would be part of his repentance, but it would only be a part. He owned Sanosuke so much more.  
  
He took to his feet and walked over to the closet, clothing himself in a pilot uniform so random guards wouldn't recognize him. He could sneak in and walk casually to Kaoru's room, but after he let that bullet lined with Kamiya's head fly, it would be a race against time and the ship to get back to Sanosuke and their little escape.  
  
But as soon as they were back to their ship they were home free.  
  
The supplies had been bought and the course was set to Earth after that. More sitting and waiting...  
  
But this time... the ahou would be with him.  
  
Time was moving too slowly, as time tends to do when you're filled with anticipation. Every second was like a minute; every minute like and hour. All he could do was sit and wait and watch the map on his screen. He was gaining on the colony at a steady rate and would reach it ahead of schedule, but to Saitou the dot that indicated his ship was moving agonizingly slow, as if it would never reach the mass that was the colony where Sano was being held captive.   
  
It was noon and he was expected at nine forty-six.  
  
Saitou knew he should eat - knew that he would probably need energy after doing nothing for months but sitting there looking at the computer, but he couldn't pull himself away from the controls. He wasn't going to move for another nine hours and forty six minutes.  
  
------------------------  
  
I laid on the bed, resting my chin in my hands. I was pretending to listen to Kaoru come up with stupid plots to kill Hiko. I had other things on my mind.  
  
"Sano!" Kaoru cried, interrupting my pleasant thoughts. "Are you listening to me!?"  
  
"Of course, Kaoru! I personally think you should go for the malice decapitation technique..." I commented dryly. She shook her head viciously.  
  
"If you had been listening you would have heard that -although it was a personal favorite tactic- it would get the floor much too messy for what I can afford right now! I don't want to bother with the clean up and excuse...!!"   
  
"Then drown him in the community pool. Doesn't sound messy to me."   
  
Her face turned into one of thought, pacing around the room continuously.  
  
"That may work, but then I have to--!"  
  
Her voice faded away was I went back to my thoughts.  
  
Saitou was coming... and he was coming soon! Seven more hours!  
  
Then I would be home free...  
  
I snapped back as Kaoru laid a hand on my shoulder.  
  
"My plan is perfect!"  
  
"What?" I blinked.   
  
She groaned, "Damnit, Sanosuke! You're going to help me get Kenshin by seducing Hiko so I don't have to kill him!!"  
  
"Excuse me!?!"  
  
"It will work perfectly! You get Hiko, I get Kenshin!"  
  
"I don't want Hiko!!"  
  
"Oh yes, you do!"  
  
"No! I don't! Believe me on this one!"  
  
"But if you're with Hiko, Kenshin will be with me and I'll be happy! If I'm happy, you're happy! See?"  
  
"Kaoru, I'll do a lot of stuff for you, but seducing Hiko is not one of them!" I assured her, jaw dropped in shock from the mere concept.   
  
"You can, and you will, he was your friend!"  
  
"Not friend, superior! He's an asshole!"  
  
"So was Saitou, but you seduced him and liked it. You can seduce Hiko!"  
  
"No! I won't!"  
  
"Sanosuke!" She warned and I waited for her to continue. "You will. Understand?"  
  
She had a faint twinkle of something terrifying in her eyes.  
  
I gulped. "Fine. I'll start tomorrow."  
  
"Good boy."  
  
----------  
  
It was time.  
  
---------  
  
End of part nine 


	10. Part Ten

Notes: Yay! Action as promised! ^_^ And they are reunited!! *throws confetti* Enjoy it while ya can... I sense something coming up that could prove deadly.... ^_~  
  
Warnings: AU, Sano/Saitou, lime, angst, Kaoru/Sano (barely there any more ^_^) violence  
  
Reperio ac Diruo Terra Operation  
  
By: Emmy and Anji  
  
**Part ten**  
  
--------------  
  
The colony was huge-- larger than the one he and Sanosuke had left behind. Saitou didn't feel any anxiety as his tiny ship approached the loading dock. All he felt was grim resolution, a determination to complete his task. Hajime Saitou never failed-- his only failure had been when he hadn't managed to get Sanosuke out of the ship safely. He was going to fix that mistake today, repair his perfect record. And get his ahou back. That was his primary motive.   
  
"Colony Ship Deck to Unknown Ship," A formal voice sounded from his communication box. "Do you read?"  
  
"This is Mibu Okami, flying in to be refueled," Saitou replied, "Requesting permission to land."  
  
"Please send your license and identification."  
  
Saitou pulled up the forged files he had perfected in the time he was waiting to arrive. He sent them to the man on the Ship Deck who promptly responded. "Everything seems to be in order. Permission to land granted. Enter Deck E2."  
  
The screen went blank and 'Mibu Okami' sent the ship into a light decent. The thick metal door under the code E2 opened up leaving a large space which Saitou easily flew the ship through and land in the massive colony.  
  
It was easy, this far. He thought that security would be tight, especially this far out where ships seldom went. But then again if this was a trap to get him inside...  
  
He didn't worry about that. No matter what happen he was going to do everything he could and couldn't to fulfill his goal.  
  
He was inside, surveying the brightly lit room and walking casually, dressed in the colony guard uniform that he had conveniently borrowed from the unconscious guard at the gate. His footsteps were paced well as he walked through the corridors, doors not standing a chance against the research he had done prior to the little mission.  
  
He walked stealthily down the halls, and down another, not even earning himself a second glance from other guards (whom he had taken extra precaution to avoid). Security wasn't scanning his ID, they were... ignoring him.  
  
That meant that his little mission hadn't been discovered. To be honest, he thought that Sanosuke may have given it away, judging from how connived the woman he was staying with was.  
  
----------------  
  
It was time... it had to be time... why was he so late? It didn't make sense to me...  
  
After all of my planning for tomorrow, he had to come.  
  
He couldn't have changed his mind... could he?  
  
No, that was just out of the question... at least I hoped that much.  
  
I had given up pacing, my body ached too much to do so... everything still hurt so much. I frowned as I looked around the empty room. Kaoru had gone out to run errands, and I didn't know just what was happening...  
  
I heard the air lock on the door open and I rose unconsciously. There was no knock on the door... that meant that it had to be...!!  
  
I ran into the other room and froze, a smile slapped across my face.   
  
There stood a single man wearing a guard uniform, face hidden by the shadow of the cap's visor. It had to be...!!  
  
"Jime!!" I shouted and launched myself at him, arms latching around his neck instantly. "Damnit, Jime! I missed you so much!!"  
  
I was actually expecting the cold man to push me away, even if the rational voice in my head told me that you shouldn't do that to an injured man. His right hand cradled my head, and his left had wrapped around my waist, giving me support in my bone crushing hug.  
  
"Ahou," he muttered, but without his usual tone. I knew not to take it as an insult-- it was Saitou's way of saying "I've missed you too."  
  
"Did everything go okay?" I asked, my head buried in his chest. "You're late."  
  
"Sorry," he said sarcastically, "I guess that I shouldn't have bothered coming. I'll just be leaving now." But he didn't make any movement, as if he were ever going to leave now, or for any time in the next century, so I knew better than to take it seriously. Even in the most emotional moments he had to be sarcastic and cold.   
  
I pulled away slowly, even if I didn't want to let go. I was hoping for something more. I leaned up, and closed my eyes, hoping that he would take the hint and accept me. I wanted him to, I wanted him too so much. I didn't have to wait long.  
  
His lips crashed down onto mine, and I felt like melting as I tasted the cigarette smoke I missed over time. Now I would rather taste cigarette smoke than the gun smoke that seemed to be a resident of this little militaristic mobile colony.   
  
My tongue caressed his lower lip as he kissed me deeply. His tongue countered and rubbed up against mine while his lips continued to kiss me with more passion than I had ever experienced before. I pulled him closer and wrapped my arms around his neck.  
  
This was my heaven... Finally...  
  
And the best thing out of it that I knew that this kiss wasn't out of pity, he must have genuinely missed me, even if he refused to show it.  
  
---------  
  
A guard was looking around on the security camera for a momentary watch. He grinned as he came to one in the main room of a Commander's room. "Woah, looks like it's gettin' hot and heavy in there!" he commented to himself snidely.  
  
He leaned back in his chair as the show continued, and would have felt right at home if he had a side of popcorn in his lap. As the make-out session continued, the taller man's hat slipped off and the guard frowned. He hadn't seen him before.  
  
He ran a quick ID check on the man and frowned as a bio on 'Hajime Saitou' came up. His jaw clenched as he recognized the name. Hajime Saitou was the man who had escaped from Hiradake's home colony!  
  
His hand quickly reached for the intercom. But before he could press the button, his hand went limp, and the radio fell to the ground, shattering with a loud crash. A shadowed figure over the man sighed, "Damnit, Sano, you should know better."  
  
---------  
  
I had to restrain myself from ripping his uniform off right now, and I could feel the rise in his pants, indicating that the feeling was mutual. I was nibbling down his neck, and his hands were supporting me fully, both wrapped around my waist now. I groaned quietly as he continued.  
  
Now my mouth was back on his, my arms around his neck. I pushed him slowly onto Kaoru's bed. Somehow I found it kinky to be kissing him on the bed where I had been tortured so thoroughly for months. I kind of wished Kaoru could see the way we are together-- it would undoubtedly make her jealous. That would be fun.  
  
"Jime..." I whimpered as our mouths parted and he started kissing my neck. Ah, it felt so good...  
  
"Sanosuke..." I heard a voice whisper. But it wasn't Saitou's. That was strange. It sounded feminine. It came from across the room. It sounded like...  
  
"Kaoru!" I jumped, knocking Saitou off of me. Pity, too, we had just been getting into it; that bitch had to ruin everything. She was standing with a look of utter shock on her face, her mouth wide opened.  
  
"Kaoru, would you like to join us?" I asked with a cruel smirk, lacing my arm around Saitou's waist. Her eyes were widened with shock, and in one swift movement, Saitou drew out a gun, attached with a silencer, and shot the girl in the leg. She fell to the floor, blood dripping from the wound. Before she could scream, Saitou leaped over and covered her mouth with his hand. In one, fluid motion, he ripped a strip of cloth from her shirt and warped it around her mouth. He proceeded to tie her to a wooden chair sitting at her desk, handcuffing her with the same ones she had used on me. They just conveniently happened to be sitting on her dresser, and Saitou thankfully didn't ask any questions.  
  
She shouted screams through the gag. I grinned and Saitou looked down at her, glaring with a deadly tint in his eyes while looking at the dripping blood. Her tears were already drenching the gag, but he leaned down, cupping her chin in his palm. "You deceived us and planned to kill us. But above everything else, you hurt Sanosuke, and there is nothing that you can do to repent for that. I will kill you, but you'll be getting back a feeling that I had to live with for over three months. A feeling of utter hopelessness. Something that makes you aware of your fate, and your past decisions and knowing that you can't do anything about them."  
  
His voice sent chills through my spine. He stood up and walked back over to me, grinning at her squeals of protest, but over everything else, he was grinning at me. He swung his arm around my waist and pushed me, slowly, back down to the bed, kissing down my neck.  
  
I froze in my place as his hands tugged the bottom of the shirt I was wearing slowly peel it off. I nearly choked as I realized that my shirt was off, and his mouth with gently teasing my left nipple, making me instantly hard. I groaned against his touch, as gentle as it was, and suddenly forget that Kaoru was in the room.   
  
Heh, served the bitch right. She asked for this, and Saitou was going to give it to her... but not before giving it to me.   
  
I chuckled.   
  
Score!  
  
His hot mouth came back to my collarbone, raking his teeth across my sensitive flesh. I ducked my head down to meet his lips head-on, flicking my tongue across the roof of his mouth.   
  
Kaoru was watching with a look that was a mixture of shock and pain. I wanted to laugh. I would have laughed that moment if Saitou hadn't moved from my lips to my neck. I couldn't help but moan. Kaoru had the exact same look on her face I imagined I had, when she sent those guys to rape me. Maybe I would send Saitou to kill them. Or maybe I would kill them myself.  
  
I couldn't see how Saitou could be that experienced, I had never seen him with anyone, so as far as I knew he had never done anything like this. But he certainly seemed to prove me wrong as he moved his lips as if he were an expert. One minute he was on my cheek, making me groan, the next on my neck, the next on my chest, the next... damn! I had been hoping he would go lower, but he returned to my face. With his mouth touching my ear, he whispered, "I'm sorry that I left you. But I think I can make it up to you now." And then he smiled, not a loving smile, but a smile that made part of me want to run for cover and part of me want to... you know.  
  
He reached down, in my pants, and gave a light squeeze. I moaned. Oh God, he knew what he was doing. I heard a dull thud and looked around to see that Kaoru had fallen off of her chair with a look of amazement on her face. I almost felt that it was unfair that she should get a free show, but at that moment I had more important things on my mind. On my mind and elsewhere.  
  
He leaned down to me and whispered in my ear once again, "Is this what you thought it would be like?" He drew out his sentence agonizingly soft.  
  
I swallowed and nodded, "Everything and more... please keep going."  
  
He answered me by unzipping my pants the rest of the way. I replied by ripping my pants off to save him the trouble. I knew my grin was lazy, but his wasn't. It was a feral one, one that knew just what the owner was doing.  
  
His hand reached down past the silk boxers Kaoru had given me. Thinking again, he let go of me and pulled the boxers off completely. I had to remember that thinking wasn't a big part of this...  
  
It went on pure longing and animal instinct, I had to focus on the matter at hand.  
  
I groaned as his mouth found my length. Kaoru had tried this before, but she had ended up biting me and then decided she just wanted to fuck. Saitou didn't bite. Well, not to the point that it wasn't kinky.  
  
I had been a slave to Kaoru, but this time I was willing and ready, groaning as Saitou began sucking hard. I didn't bother to look around at Kaoru. She would have been crying and struggling pointlessly. Although that was something that was supposed to ruin the mood, it just made me want Saitou to do this even more.  
  
At least my time with Kaoru had done something. I knew that if he had done this several months ago I wouldn't have lasted past the first kiss, but now I could go for longer.  
  
But was this just him trying to make up for what happened? Somehow, from the aching in my groin and Saitou's hot mouth, I couldn't seem to see past this as love. Yeah, I wanted love this time around. I think that while I was on the ship with Saitou, it was cabin fever and a huge case of lust. Maybe it was the whole situation that I was now addicted to, but I wanted it.  
  
I wanted him.  
  
Luckily, though, he seemed willing to give himself to me, as was evidenced by the fact that his hands were now roaming freely on my body. His mouth was still working quickly, and I was going to come any second.  
  
My voice let out small little, "Jime... Jime,"s with every breath like a mantra. "I want you... now... please..."  
  
He smiled that maniac's smile again. It made me go weak in the knees. I groaned even more, gaining more of a voice. My breathing hitched as he sucked harder and slide my cock down his throat. And then, right when I could feel it coming... he pulled back. "What the hell?!" I yelled. "Don't stop!"  
  
"Ahou. We're getting too fast, too soon. Besides, we don't want to waste you before we do what you've been wanting for the last couple of months."  
  
I nodded with a knowing smile on my face as he held me close to his chest and slipped his hand under me.   
  
I yelped loudly, my head shooting back in pain not pleasure. He looked at me, wildly concerned and withdrew his hand. "I didn't do anything, what happened?" He asked, voice low.  
  
Fuck, it hurt so much where they...   
  
That's right...  
  
Where they raped me...  
  
I clenched my fists and buried my face in his chest.  
  
It hurt so much, nothing was healing. I nearly choked as a sob came to my throat, but I felt him soothing my hair softly. The pleasure was gone.  
  
Reality hit, and I couldn't get the one thing that I had been trying to get for as long as I had been in space... There was no more fun in it. Both of us seemed to have lost heart in what we were doing, and slowly we both sat up and started to put our clothes back on.   
  
Finally when we were both fully dressed, and with our clothes came the reality of our situation. We had to get out of there as soon as possible, before someone noticed that Saitou was there, either through something in his ship or those hidden cameras that they had hidden around the colony...   
  
The hidden cameras! They could have been watching everything that we had just did... they could be on their way to Kaoru's chambers that very moment! I told Saitou about the cams hidden in the walls and he didn't reply, only began clearing any traces of them having been there at a quicker pace than before-- a much quicker pace.  
  
The door to our left opened and my breath caught in my throat. They were here, they had to be!  
  
A guard with long raven hair and sunglasses walked into the room, raising his gun as he walked into the room. I stood there, paralyzed. Saitou raised his gun just as fast, pushing me to the floor for cover. I looked the man over and stopped, grabbing Saitou's leg.   
  
"No! Don't shoot! It's Katsu!!"  
  
Saitou didn't take his eyes of my childhood friend neither did he lower his weapon. "Who is Katsu?"  
  
"He's a friend of mine!"  
  
"He might be working for Hiradake."  
  
"He's NOT working for that bastard!"  
  
Katsu slowly brought his gun to the floor in a sign of friendship.  
  
"You trust him?" Saitou asked quietly.  
  
"Yes." I said firmly.  
  
Saitou put his gun back away. I had a million questions, so I settled for one that would sum up half of them. "What are you doing here?" I asked rather blatantly.  
  
Katsu smiled. "Don't look too happy to see me?" he joked. I smiled back and then proceeded to run over and jumped on my friend, throwing my arms around him.   
  
"Shit, it's been forever! Now what have you been doing?"  
  
"Watching your ass." He stated, a serene look on his face.  
  
I chuckled. "How so?"  
  
"How the hell do you think you got away from your little 'shoot-em-up' two colonies back?"  
  
"... you were the guard?"  
  
"Right on! I was sent by Commander Aoshi to look after yer asses."  
  
I blushed slightly, lowering my gaze to the ground. I didn't know I was such a chore. He ruffled my hair, and laughed, "Now how about we get your asses out of here, huh? I've got the camera problem covered. There'll be a glitch in the system for about five more minutes, and I need to get you out in that amount of time!"  
  
"So what the hell are we standing around for!?" I demanded, and looked back at Saitou, who was still looking a little hesitant.  
  
"Katsu, you take Sanosuke back to the ship, I need to take care of something."  
  
My heart fell. Take care of something? What would that be? He couldn't mean...?  
  
Saitou gave a glare to the girl laying on the floor and fired the gun one more time, squirting blood from her other leg. She yelped and fell to the ground, unconscious. I looked at the mass of flesh and bone that had been my torturer and glared. There, she got hers.  
  
"Come on!" Katsu commanded and pulled me by the shoulder.  
  
"But what about Jime!?" I demanded as I was pulled through the door.  
  
"I'll meet you two back on the ship! Have the ship started up and as soon as I come back, we'll leave!" Saitou shouted, and took off down the hallway in our opposite direction, reloading the gun quickly. I shook my head. This was so fucking familiar! I can't let him go this time and risk separation again!  
  
"Jime! Where are you going?" He quickly kissed me on the cheek, and then was running out the door. "Where are you going!?!?!" I yelled to his back, but he didn't turn. I wanted to go back into Kaoru's chambers, but Katsu stopped me.  
  
"We're leaving now." He grabbed my arm and started to pull me in the opposite direction than that which Saitou had disappeared in. I didn't budge. I didn't even look at him-- I couldn't take my eyes off that empty corridor. "Come ON, Sanosuke, if you stay here you'll just be hurting his chances of making it back alive more."  
  
Making it back alive... whatever Saitou was doing, there was a chance that it might kill him. This must be how Saitou had felt when he had had to leave me behind. I knew that I would be safe now, but Saitou might not be. I couldn't leave him, though. I had to stay here and wait.  
  
But Katsu didn't give me that option. He pulled with all of his strength at my dead weight, and finally I gave in and walked with him, feeling like the worst person in the world, feeling like I was betraying him. I was leaving the wolf to the wolves...  
  
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End of part ten 


End file.
